A Message to the City from Sara Porkalob

Good morning.

It’s another beautiful day… of being on our own and full of despair. But we have to laugh. We have to find things to laugh about.

We asked Broadway-bound performer Sara Porkalob if she would please sing the musical theater chestnut about being on your own and full of despair—”On My Own” from Les Miserables—because it seemed apropos.

She turned in the funniest goddamn message in this series.*

Rewriting lyrics as she goes. Practicing skin care.

The 1776 revival sounds amazing. It will have a female, non-binary, and trans cast.

Sara is playing Edward Rutledge, the one who sings “Molasses to Rum.” She’s going to steal the show.

Legend. Courtesy of Sara Porkalob

Sara is an award winning artist-activist and creator of the Dragon Cycle, a trilogy of plays about her family—one play for each generation, built around a central female protagonist. The first in the cycle, Dragon Lady, won three Gregory Awards.

The second in the cycle, Dragon Mama, premiered at American Repertory Theatre (ART) and won Best Original Script and Best Solo Performance for the 2019 Elliot Norton Awards. ART has commissioned the third in the cycle, Dragon Baby; it will premiere on their stage in the near future.

So long as there is a future.

🎶”On my own, pretending you’re beside me. All alone, I Instagram till morning…” 🎶 Courtesy of Sara Porkalob

She is a co-founder of the online journal of intersectional performance critique DeConstruct. You can follow her on Instagram or Twitter or Facebook.

She closes her number today with:

I miss you,
Seattle.
We’ll get through this.
But for now we’re out here
On our own.

Thank you, Sara. Thank you for cracking us up, and sharing that voice.

Put on a healing face mask while you WFH today, everyone. Or while you DWFH.

Good luck making something out of this shit salad of a world.

We can’t wait for 2021.

* Yes, funnier than Brandon’s!!

Previously in this series:
* *

Julia Sweeney’s message to the city on April 20.

Linda Derschang’s message to the city on April 19.

Molly Sides’s message to the city on April 18.

Nick Garrison’s message to the city on April 17.

Tomo Nakayama’s message to the city on April 16.

Rebecca M. Davis’s message to the city April 15.

Heather McHugh’s message to the city on April 14.

Brandon O’Neill’s message to the city on April 13.

Kate Wallich’s message to the city on April 12.

Rebecca Brown’s message to the city on April 11.

Lucien Postlewaite’s message to the city on April 10.

Betty Wetter’s message to the city on April 9.

Amanda Morgan’s message to the city on April 8.

Nancy Guppy’s message to the city on April 7.

Jonathan Biss’s message to the city on April 6.

Chris Jeffries’s message to the city on April 5.

Lesley Hazleton’s message to the city on April 4.

John Roderick’s message to the city on April 3.

Bill Carty’s message to the city on April 2.

Price Suddarth’s message to the city on April 1.

Kary Wayson’s message to the city on March 31.

Ellen Forney’s message to the city on March 30.

Major Scales’s message to the city on March 29.

E. J. Koh’s message to the city on March 28.

Ken Jennings’s message to the city on March 27.

Demarre McGill’s message to the city on March 26.

Lynn Shelton’s Message to the City on March 25th.

Timothy White Eagle’s message to the city on March 24.

Cookie Couture’s message to the city on March 23.

Sarah Rudinoff’s message to the city on March 22.

John Osebold’s message to the city on March 21.

Ben Gibbard’s message to the city on March 20.

Nathan Chan’s message to the city on March 19.