Kenneth Keng

Kenneth Keng is a Filipino-Chinese playwright and performer who makes work about falling in love with a culture devouring their own. They came to America to chase the Philippines’ stolen wealth, and have stayed upon realizing that behind the global cultural hegemony is a kind and generous artistic community.

Kenneth Keng is a Filipino-Chinese playwright and performer who makes work about falling in love with a culture devouring their own. They came to America to chase the Philippines’ stolen wealth, and have stayed upon realizing that behind the global cultural hegemony is a kind and generous artistic community.

Scripts

Parish The Thought

by Kenneth Keng

Cast Size
4—6
Genre
comedy,
drama,
horror

Parish The Thought is a short play about the vital importance of democracy, as practiced by the ladies of the newly elected parish council of a tiny Episcopal church (population: 127) located in the heart of the Philippine capital city Metro Manila (population: 13,484,862).

Parish The Thought is a short play about the vital importance of democracy, as practiced by the ladies of the newly elected parish council of a tiny Episcopal church (population: 127) located in the heart of the Philippine capital city Metro Manila (population: 13,484,862).

AMA or, Ask Me Anything About How My Hokkien Grandmother Survived The Second World War In The Philippines

by Kenneth Keng

Cast Size
1—99
Genre
biography,
comedy,
dark comedy,
docudrama/historic,
drama,
immersive

A participatory silent monologue about the difficulty of intergenerational communication despite trilingual fluency, interrupted by the invasion of the Philippines by the Japanese Imperial Army. A lecture on the combat capabilities of the World War 2 Era Japanese Type 94 Tankette, drowned out by the sound of an air pump inflating a life sized replica thereof. An invitation to participate in choosing who gets to...

A participatory silent monologue about the difficulty of intergenerational communication despite trilingual fluency, interrupted by the invasion of the Philippines by the Japanese Imperial Army. A lecture on the combat capabilities of the World War 2 Era Japanese Type 94 Tankette, drowned out by the sound of an air pump inflating a life sized replica thereof. An invitation to participate in choosing who gets to be the Philippines' next colonizer.​

read more

Line Up

by Kenneth Keng

Cast Size
5—7
Genre
adventure,
political,
science fiction

A squad of mothers joins their colonizer's army for the chance to win citizenship for their families.

A squad of mothers joins their colonizer's army for the chance to win citizenship for their families.

Brought Up

by Kenneth Keng

Cast Size
8—10
Genre
adventure,
immersive,
political,
science fiction

A play about the visceral appeal of war and near-impossibility of peace.

The crew of Nueva Manila’s last intrastellar warship the Dakilang Mandirigma must decide how far to take the orders of the capitalist theocrats they ostensibly serve. If they can put down their weapons in time, they might get the chance to build a community with their former enemies where all people can be happy, safe and free.
​...

A play about the visceral appeal of war and near-impossibility of peace.

The crew of Nueva Manila’s last intrastellar warship the Dakilang Mandirigma must decide how far to take the orders of the capitalist theocrats they ostensibly serve. If they can put down their weapons in time, they might get the chance to build a community with their former enemies where all people can be happy, safe and free.
​
Developed with the support of the Performance Project@University Settlement and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

read more

Wake Up

by Kenneth Keng

Cast Size
5
Genre
adaptation,
fantasy,
horror,
science fiction

A play about how colonialism infects our creation myths, making truly happy endings unimaginable.

Watched over by a three story tall corpse god, Balan assembles their blade by taking the lives and weapons of their former friends. They may see their journey culminate in a kind of freedom, but only if the audience lets them.

A play about how colonialism infects our creation myths, making truly happy endings unimaginable.

Watched over by a three story tall corpse god, Balan assembles their blade by taking the lives and weapons of their former friends. They may see their journey culminate in a kind of freedom, but only if the audience lets them.

Time's Up

by Kenneth Keng

Cast Size
2—3
Genre
dark comedy,
romantic comedy,
science fiction

A play about time and love and the many ways you’d die to have more of both.

Se Cheng desperately tries to make the most out of what little time he has left with Ihuoma, all the while dying to find out that he has all the time left in the world.

A play about time and love and the many ways you’d die to have more of both.

Se Cheng desperately tries to make the most out of what little time he has left with Ihuoma, all the while dying to find out that he has all the time left in the world.

Going Up

by Kenneth Keng

Cast Size
5
Genre
adventure,
dark comedy,
science fiction

Viktor must leave the safety of base camp and begin the Ascent, climbing the ancient, crumbling miles-high Wall astride a cobbled together giant 'mech suit in the hopes of finding the promised land just over the top. They can just about make it, so long as they're willing to let their family die for them.

Viktor must leave the safety of base camp and begin the Ascent, climbing the ancient, crumbling miles-high Wall astride a cobbled together giant 'mech suit in the hopes of finding the promised land just over the top. They can just about make it, so long as they're willing to let their family die for them.