Dixon Place, Free Rein Projects, and Ping Chong and Company (PCC) present the world premiere production of Jaime Sunwoo’s Specially Processed American Me (January 27 – February 19, 2022). Co-directed by Sunwoo and Karim Muasher, and commissioned by Dixon Place, the multimedia theater work investigates SPAM’s legacy in the military, its significance in the Asia-Pacific, and its influence on Asian cuisine as it reveals the stories of three generations of women. Through a narrative collage of oral history, video, music, and shadowplay, SPAM becomes a powerful symbol of colonization, immigration, assimilation, American dreams and disillusionment, inviting us to examine the memories we hold onto and those we leave behind.

Specially Processed American Me oscillates wildly between absurd humor and sober tragedy as it unpacks the ambivalent connotations of one of America’s most misunderstood foods. Part of American soldiers’ military rations, it was introduced to the Asia-Pacific during World War II and the Korean War—either by soldiers giving it away, or through the black market. It was quickly adopted into numerous local cuisines because of the scarcity of meat and its ability to stay fresh without refrigeration. In this kaleidoscopic, surreal vision, audiences encounter former Hormel President, and heir to his Hormel-founding father’s porcine throne, Jay Hormel; the WWII-veteran-comprised SPAM-promoting musical group Hormel Girls; Korean Shamanic rituals; SPAM-centric mukbang clips; spirits; a brigade of shadowy memories; and more SPAM; as they experience the coming-of-age of Jaime, a Korean American teenager growing up in New York and eating a variety of SPAM dishes (SPAM musubi, kimbap, fried rice) along the way.

There will be a post-show talkback on 2/11 and 2/18.

Learn more at speciallyprocessed.com and follow @speciallyprocessed on Instagram and Facebook!