TLAB SHARES HOSTS
Leviathan Lab’s
WINTERFEST : Two New Solo Works
FULL CONTACT
Written and Performed by Ariel Estrada
Directed by Gaven D. Trinidad
Produced by Leviathan Lab and Mixed Asian Media
A National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere
X#*! YOU VERY MUCH, MOM
Written and Performed by Đavid Lee Huỳnh
Directed by Nana Dakin
Produced by Second Generation Productions in association with Leviathan Lab
A Developmental Workshop
Leviathan Lab’s WinterFest proudly presents a double feature of two new, compelling solo performances and a staged reading of a new dark comedy: The National New Play Network NYC Rolling World Premiere of FULL CONTACT; a developmental workshop of X#*! YOU VERY MUCH, MOM; and a one-night staged reading of BLOOD/SUCKER.
ABOUT THE WORK
In FULL CONTACT, after a week alone in his apartment, Filipino American Ariel Estrada* unravels under the weight of his memories: a violent cult, a lost faith, and the echo of his late father’s demands. Caught between guilt and survival, he fights to take the first step toward healing before his mind pulls him under. Presented by Leviathan Lab and Mixed Asian Media.
In X#*! YOU VERY MUCH, MOM, theatre meets TED Talk meets dark family secrets. With whimsy, sardonic humor, and heart, Đavid Lee Huỳnh* shares how the effects of French colonialism shaped Vietnam, rippled out, and made it so #%@#ing hard for his mom to say “I love you.” Presented by Second Generation Productions in association with Leviathan Lab.
Writer/actors Ariel Estrada and Đavid Lee Huỳnh will each perform their respective stories in TheaterLab’s intimate white box space—an evening of two, hour-long solo works that challenge what it means to be Asian American now.
PERFORMANCES
Thursday, November 20th @ 7:00 PM – Preview
Friday, November 21st @ 7:00 PM – Preview
Saturday, November 22nd @ 2:00 PM – Preview
Saturday, November 22nd @ 7:00 PM – Opening Night
Sunday, November 23rd @ 3:00 PM
Tuesday, December 2nd @ 7:00 PM
Wednesday, December 3rd @ 7:00 PM
Thursday, December 4th @ 7:00 PM
Friday, December 5th @ 7:00 PM
Saturday, December 6th @ 2:00 PM
Saturday, December 6th @ 7:00 PM 
American Sign Language Interpreted Performance (Use code ASLNIGHT)
Sunday, December 7th @ 3:00 PM
WINTERFEST CARE & CONTENT ADVISORIES
Leviathan Lab’s staged reading of BLOOD/SUCKER will contain sudden instances of loud sound.
FULL CONTACT addresses themes that some may find distressing, including self-harm, suicide, extreme negative psychological and behavioral manipulation by a cult/high control group, physical abuse, mental health issues, racism, homophobia, trauma, and grief. We strive to address these themes with bravery and clarity.
X#*! YOU VERY MUCH, MOM contains discussion of mental illness, family violence & abuse, and racism.
BLOOD/SUCKER will contain instances of racism, gaslighting, homophobia (including slurs), transphobia, discussion of violence/gore, and vampires.
Leviathan Lab, Second Generation Productions, and Mixed Asian Media encourages its audiences to explore these themes as a community, be with each other’s humanity, and lean in with empathy and compassion so that all may support one another before, throughout, and after the production.
TICKETING
PAY AS YOU ARE TICKET PRICING
Leviathan Lab, Second Generation Productions, and Mixed Asian Media all strive to voice the stories of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community. In order to serve those communities whose stories we tell, we are committed to making performances as accessible as possible. PAY AS YOU ARE PRICING asks those who routinely pay $65 for theater tickets to choose to pay that amount; the actual fair market value of the ticket. If an audience member needs to pay less, they can choose to pay less—as little as $20 per ticket. If you can afford to pay more, thank you! Please know that every dollar of goes towards supporting our missions to champion AANHPI theater, film, and digital media artists.
No one will be turned away for their ability to pay. Please email ariel@leviathanlab.com for more information.
TICKET LEVELS
$25 Students & Seniors: Available for high school/college students and elders over 65.
$65 Bronze Level: Market price.
$75 Silver Level: Thank you for your additional support! In addition to reserved seating at this level, please see Leviathan Lab’s lobby representative at check-in for a special offer.
$95 Platinum Level: Thank you for your enhanced support! In addition to reserved seating at this level, please see Leviathan Lab’s lobby representative at check-in for a special offer.
$125 Gold Level: Thank you for your top-tier support! In addition to reserved seating at this level, please see Leviathan Lab’s lobby representative at check-in for a special offer.
ADDITIONAL EVENT
PLUS! A ONE-NIGHT ONLY STAGED READING OF BLOOD/SUCKER
In Anamaria Guerzon’s BLOOD/SUCKER, Ryan, a high school social studies teacher, is tired. He’s been spending late nights grading homework, as well as fending off parental complaints about his Asian-American History class, who claim that he is using ‘Critical Race Theory’ to indoctrinate the students. Then Hillary, the Principal, begins to take an interest in his class. And the students are beginning to act very strange…BLOOD/SUCKER is a bloody political satire/horror play about the public school system, and those it feeds off of. Presented by Leviathan Lab.
Monday, November 24th @ 7:00 PM – Staged Reading of BLOOD/SUCKER only.
Estimated run-time : 90 mins
This is event is FREE to attend, but there are multiple options to support the work for those who are able.
Suggested Contribution Levels
$20 Additional: Thank you for your additional support in paying for our artists!
$25 Enhanced: Thank you for your enhanced support in paying for our space!
$35 Top-Tier: Thank you for your top-tier support! In addition to reserved seating, please see Leviathan Lab’s lobby representative at check-in for a special offer.
For any questions, please contact ariel@leviathanlab.com
FULL CONTACT and BLOOD/SUCKER presented by Leviathan Lab and Mixed Asian Media. X#*! YOU VERY MUCH, MOM presented by Second Generation Productions in association with Leviathan Lab.
*Actor appearing courtesy of Actors Equity Association.
MEET THE TEAM
ARIEL ESTRADA
Ariel Estrada (Writer/Performer, FULL CONTACT; he/him/his). Off-Broadway: A PERSISTENT MEMORY, MBL Productions (Jessi D. Hill, dir.); DOUBLE FALSEHOOD, Letter of Marque (Andrew Borthwick-Leslie, dir.); FAR EAST, Lincoln Center Theater (Daniel Sullivan, dir.); SHOGUN MACBETH, CAMBODIA AGONISTES, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre. Selected Indie/Regional: The Legionnaire/Danny, WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME, Perseverance Theatre (Leslie Ishii, dir.); FULL CONTACT, Perseverance Theatre (NNPN Rolling World Premiere, Leslie Ishii, dir.); BLENDED 和 (HARMONY), History Theatre/Theater Mu (Lily Tung Crystal, dir.); MADE IN CHINA (NYT Critics Pick); Wakka Wakka (Gwen Warnock, dir.). TV/Film: Nero, Title VII, “Osprey“, Blue Bloods”, “The Americans”. As an arts administrator and educator, he has raised over $1M in government and foundation funding for indie arts nonprofits in NYC. His leadership has been recognized by National Alliance of Acting Teachers, Theatrical Intimacy Education, artEquity, New York Community Trust, New York Foundation for the Arts, and Theatre Communications Group. www.arielestrada.com
GAVEN D. TRINIDAD
Gaven D. Trinidad (Director, FULL CONTACT; they/he/siya) is a first-generation Filipinx American dramaturg, playwright, director, and educator from NYC. Their artistic work explores the intersections of race, language, immigration, queerness, ritual, community, and futurity. They have collaborated in artistic and administrative roles at Signature Theatre Company, New York Theatre Workshop, The Juilliard Drama Division, Ma-Yi Theatre Company, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, National Queer Theater, Breaking the Binary, and more. Selected plays: LEARNING HOW TO READ BY MOONLIGHT (BAPF Finalist 2021), NOVENA (Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference Semi-Finalist 2024), MERCURY MAKES THE SKIN GLOW (Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference Finalist 2025, BAPF Finalist 2025). Selected dramaturgy credits: THE DUAT (Philadelphia Theatre Company, PlayPenn), PREP PLAY, OR BLUE PARACHUTE (National Queer Theater, NCTC), JUNE IS THE FIRST FALL (Yangtze Repertory Theatre), COLLIDESCOPE 2.0 (Ping Chong + Company). Selected directing credits: JOKER (National Queer Theater), ARE YOU THERE TRUMAN? (Pride Plays, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, The Parsnip Ship, Leviathan Lab), SA AMING PUSO (Global Forms Theatre Festival, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, New York Theatre Salon). Gaven holds a B.A. in American Studies from Dickinson College and an M.F.A. in Dramaturgy from UMass Amherst. They were named a 2021 Rising Leader of Color by Theatre Communications Group. Playwriting Groups/Fellowships: Orchard Project Greenhouse Lab, Ma-Yi Writers Lab. As someone living with bipolar disorder, Gaven is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness. In these challenging times, they encourage folks to support organizations like Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, United We Dream, and Make the Road NY. www.gaventrinidadtheatre.com
ĐAVID LEE HUỲNH
Đavid Lee Huỳnh (Writer/Performer, X#*! YOU VERY MUCH, MOM) is a Ragin’ Cajun Asian who went from working on his family’s shrimp boat to making Theatre all over the world. Onstage, he’s trod the boards in one of the rare American productions of a Shakespeare play to transfer to the United Kingdom (THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, Royal Lyceum Theatre) and is a regular player in New York’s Off-Broadway scene. On-camera, his work includes an eclectic range of credits from crime drama (“FBI”, “Blue Bloods”, “Children of the Dust”) to science fiction (“Solitary”) to high fantasy (“Encounter Party”). His work as a writer has been supported by Yangtze Repertory Theatre of America, HB Studios, Second Generation Productions, Ma-Yi Theater, Ozark Living Newspaper Theatre Co., LIT Council, and others. He is a professor in the Randolph College MFA Theatre Arts program and the associate artistic director of Second Generation Productions. MFA: University of Houston | www.davidleehuynh.com | @huynhsome | “không phải tôi. chúng ta”
NANA DAKIN
Nana Dakin (นานา เดกิ้น) (Director, X#*! YOU VERY MUCH, MOM) is a queer Thai American director of new work, classics and devised performance based in NYC. Her work pursues social equity by examining the way culture is constructed and unsettling dormant biases. She is the first Thai theatre director to direct at the Royal Court Theatre in London and was the Associate Director for 4-time Tony-nominated play MARY JANE on Broadway, including Best Direction. In NYC her work has been presented and developed at Ars Nova, Atlantic Theater Company, Bedlam, The Civilians, Clubbed Thumb, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Ma-Yi Theater Company, The Mercury Store, New York Theatre Workshop, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, Soho Rep and more. Recent regional productions include: THE CHINESE LADY (Everyman Theatre), AGAIN (Theater Mu), EURYDICE (American Shakespeare Company). Nana is the Board President of the Thai Theatre Foundation. She is also a core member of Future River, an organization dedicated to environmental and climate justice through creative projects and community action, and of B-Floor Theatre, Thailand’s most highly awarded theatre company. Nana has an MFA in Theatre Directing from Columbia University and currently teaches for Randolph College’s MFA in Theatre program. www.nanadakin.com
ANAMARIA GUERZON
Anamaria Guerzon (Playwright, BLOOD/SUCKER; she/they) is a Filipino-American theatre artist based in Seattle, WA. Their work seeks to explore humanness, with an emphasis on marginalization within hierarchy, and the legacy of ongoing colonization. They believe in the inherent magic of the human experience, and seek to represent this lived reality through the fantastic and strange. Their work has been developed with The Playwright Realm’s Scratchpad Series (dir. May Adrales), Seattle Public Theater’s Distillery program in 2024 (dir. Zenaida Smith), Pork Filled Production’s Unleashed series (dir. Hattie Andres), among others. They have received various honors, such as: Finalist for Theater’s Mu’s New Eyes Festival (2024), Finalist for Live & In Color’s June Bingham New Play Commission (2024), andWE#@SSemi-Finalist for Ashland New Works Festival (2024), and Semi Finalist for Ojai Playwright’s Conference. Besides writing, they are also a Gregory Award-winning actor and dramaturg. They received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre, from Pacific Lutheran University (2021). www.anamariaguerzon.com
NICHOLAS POLONIO
Nicholas Polonio (Director, BLOOD/SUCKER) is a director of plays and musicals based in New York City. He has developed new work at New York Theatre Workshop, Movement Theatre Company, Bedlam, Ma-Yi Theater Company, The TEAM, Normal Ave, Leviathan Lab, Asian American Arts Alliance, Sống Collective, and the American Playwriting Foundation. As Associate Director, his work includes SLAVE PLAY (West End and Broadway Premieres), JELLY’S LAST JAM (New York City Center), PUBLIC OBSCENITIES (Soho Rep), X: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOLM X (Metropolitan Opera), A RAISIN IN THE SUN (The Public), RICHARD III (The Public), and A LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (Audible Theatre). Alumnus of the NYTW 2050 Fellowship, Drama League Directing Fellowship, Roundabout Directors Group, Young Vic Genesis Directors, and the National YoungArts Foundation. Nicholas teaches a directing seminar at NYU Playwrights Horizons Theater School, and received his BFA in Acting from Rutgers Mason-Gross School of the Arts. www.nicholaspolonio.com
FULL CONTACT: Creative/Production Team
Lighting Designer: Yang Yu
Sound Designer: Jordan Rose Bernstein
Projection/Set Designer: Cinthia Chen
Associate Projection Designer: Scott Leff
Production Stage Manager: Mars Juno Bartolome Neri
Directing Observership: Antonette Go
Producer: Elizabeth Wu, Pradanya Subramanyan, and Lisa Virginia.
X#*! YOU VERY MUCH, MOM: Creative/Production Team
Lighting Designer: Yang Yu
Sound Designer: Hao Bai
Projection Designer: Michi Zaya
Scenic Designer: Patti Panyakaew
Assistant Scenic Designer: Zen Tunsaringkran
Production Stage Manager: Clarissa Mota
Producers: Elizabeth Wu, Pradanya Subramanyan, and Lisa Virginia.
BLOOD/SUCKER: Creative/Production Team
Director: Nicholas Polonio
Featuring Carmen Berkeley, Cory Jeacoma, Annie McNamara, Claro de los Reyes, and Julian Sanchez
Sound Design: Germán Martinez
Production Stage Management: Mars Juno Bartolome Neri
FOR LEVIATHAN LAB
Ariel Estrada, Producing Artistic Director, Leviathan Lab
Pradanya Subramanyan, Producer
Gaven D. Trinidad, Dramaturg-in-Residence
Nicholas Polonio, Director-in-Residence
Robert Lee, Musical Theatre Advisor
FOR SECOND GENERATION PRODUCTIONS
Gladys Chen, Artistic Director, Second Generation Productions
Đavid Lee Huỳnh, Associate Artistic Director, Second Generation Productions
FOR MIXED ASIAN MEDIA
Alex Chester-Blank, Founder/CEO, Mixed Asian Media
Sam Tanabe, Co-Founder/Editor-in-Chief, Mixed Asian Media
Victoria Vouloumanos, Editor-in-Chief
Melissa Akiko Slaughter, Co-Founder/Contributing Editor
COVID-19 policy: In guidance with the city and state COVID-19 policies, we will no longer be requiring masks, but strongly recommend them.