‘SIXPACK’ is a raw family drama, steeped in Hmong American culture
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Like volleyball, theater is a team sport.
You have coaches, players, fans and a goal you are trying to achieve. In volleyball, you want to be first to 25 points with a two-point lead to clinch the win.
But in theater, the goals are less obvious.
For “SIXPACK,” delivering a funny, nuanced, and at times serious look at friendship is the goal— and it’s a championship-winning play. The script is by Minnesota writer Katie Ka Vang and is playing at the Jungle Theater.
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“SIXPACK” draws from Hmong American culture — specifically the subculture of Hmong women’s volleyball.
The annual Hmong International Freedom Festival in Minnesota hosts one of the largest Hmong volleyball tournaments in the country, a centerpiece of the event. Playwright Katie Ka Vang, reflecting on her youth, once said she was “so scared of like these Minnesota Hmong volleyball girls!”
In “SIXPACK,” Pam and Jou are the scary volleyball players at the center of the story. The story moves between the present, where they are estranged adults, and their high school years, when they were inseparable. Around them is a lively cast of Hmong aunties, from party animals to schemers.
The play centers on three key conflicts: an unplanned pregnancy, an attempt to sabotage a college volleyball scholarship and a family member’s search for a liver transplant — and reconciliation.
With just 90 minutes to work with, the story moves quickly, shifting from teenage squabbles to adult reckonings.
But while they may compete, the storylines never feel impossible, nor disconnected — ”SIXPACK” is a layered look at growing up and realizing that while broken things can be repaired, they can never be exactly like they were. The resulting themes of ambition, family obligation and brash decisions are universal.
This year marks 50 years since the resettlement of Southeast Asian refugees to the United States after the Vietnam and Secret Wars — and the beginning of Hmong influence on Minnesota’s culture, politics and arts.
With its clear-eyed look at ambition, family, and reconciliation through the lens of Hmong American athletes, “SIXPACK” offers a vivid snapshot of the state today.
Six Pack runs at the Jungle Theater through June 29.
