FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022 | 6:30-9:00PM CST
VITTUM THEATER | 1012 N NOBLE ST

SPONSORS:

Executive Producer Level
PAUL KIM + LUCY LEE

Director Level

DAVID + MARY CHANG

We are so excited to bring back ROAR Story Slam to Chicago!

ROAR Story Slam is a live storytelling contest dedicated to highlight and celebrate stories of the Korean American community. Each finalist will perform their story in front of our panel of judges for a chance at a cash prize of up to $1,000. This year’s theme is “metamorphosis” and we can’t wait for you to hear their stories.

Big thank you to our first round judges: Arnold Byun, Ann Choh, Sam Hyun, John C. Kim, Minsoo Kang, Grace Lee, Jeannie Park, Heidi Shin, and Rayanne Williams!

Special thanks to Sheila Ivy Traister, veteran actress, director and story coach who provided professional coaching sessions to all of our finalists.

TICKET INFO

GENERAL ADMISSIONS: $35 || STUDENT TICKET w/ ID: $25
Ticket w/meal: $50 for GA || $40 for Student
Parking: $12*

>> Purchase Here <<

This year we will be offering individual doshiraks(lunch boxes) provided by our food sponsor, Perilla

NOTE: Food and drinks are NOT allowed in the theater and will only be allowed in the dining hall during reception (6:30-7:30PM) so please plan accordingly!

*We reserved a parking lot about 1 block away from the Vittum Theater. Limited spots available. One order is equal to one spot.

MC: MIA PARK

MIA PARK is a multi-dimensional artist based in Chicago. Boundless enthusiasm fuels her community engagement through acting, producing events, teaching yoga, and more. For decades, Mia has been an advocate for Asian American representation. She has been featured on ABC’s “Asian Influences” and NBC’s “Making a Difference” as an influencer and outstanding community member in Chicago. In the civic world, Mia works with and donates to several Chicago-based Asian American organizations such as HANA Center, KAN-WIN, the Korean Consulate, the Asian American Coalition of Chicago, and more.

MiaPark.com | Instagram | Twitter

PERFORMER: EUNJI KIM

EUNJI KIM is a comedian and writer based in Chicago. She was a Senior Writer for Cards Against Humanity and can be seen performing stand-up at The Lincoln Lodge, Laugh Factory and all sorts of bar. She recently performed a solo show entitled, IN BAD TASTE, as a part of the 2022 Steppenwolf’s LookOut Series. She was a 2017 Bob Curry Fellow at Second City and a featured performer in the 2017 NBCUniversal Break Out Festival. Her TV credits include: Chicago Fire (NBC), Chicago Med (NBC) and Work In Progress (Showtime).

Instagram | Twitter

FINALISTS

CHARLENE CHOI (she/her) is a second-gen Korean American, not to be confused with the Hong Kong actress and singer of the same name. Originally hailing from the suburbs of Indiana, she worked as an English teacher in Korea before moving to Chicago. Currently, she works at Hanul Family Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to serving the Korean American older adult community and the greater multiethnic population in Chicagoland. Charlene loves to collect prints, sing at noraebang, and remember inconsequential trivia. Her friends and family can recognize Charlene a mile away from her loud animal prints and even louder laugh.

CHRIS KIM is a former juvenile public defender and currently a lawyer and a Trauma Recovery Coach. He loves poetry and storytelling, particularly as modalities to heal from trauma. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Chris reconnected to poetry through Writing to Wellness, a class offered by Creative Suit land that uses poetry as a tool to navigate through trauma. Chris has shared his stories through Story District in DC and GAPA Theater in San Francisco. Chris is also a burner, Buddhist, yoga teacher, and reiki master. In his free time, he loves to play poongmul, dance, and perform improv comedy. @cbhk8

DEB 정인 KIM is a multi-hyphenate creative. In 2020, she released her first single on major streaming platforms under the moniker Debset. Her recent work includes dancing for an Amazon commercial, acting for the short film ‘Missile’, and swinging for a developing Broadway musical. She is currently a writer on an all-women creative team for experimental short ‘Scars’, and her next single is set to release this summer. Deb hopes to continue making moves as a gyopo artist. @iamdebset

DOUG KIM was born in 1956 in Minnesota to Korean parents who came to the U.S. as college students in 1949. He spent his adult life trying to understand his identity as a Korean American. Along the way, he has worked for the Smithsonian Institution twice based on his knowledge of Korean culture and martial arts, taught Korean American studies at San Francisco State University, and is Director of Sae Jong Camp in Michigan, where he was served for over 20 years. He is the embarrassingly proud father of twenty-something twins and will celebrate 29 years of marriage to his extremely patient wife this November.

Doug explains his desire to present his story like this: “I got some bumps and bruises along the way, and hope that I can help other Korean Americans avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made.”

ROSITA GONZÁLEZ is an activist, an artist, and a Korean American adoptee. She serves as Feminism Columnist and is a former editor at the Lost Daughters, an adoptee-centric website. Her activism is rooted in her experiences as an adoptee, a woman of color, and a mother. In November of 2014, she sparked #flipthescript on #NationalAdoptionMonth, an adoptee-centric movement on Twitter, reaching close to 30 million households in 30 days. In 2015, she and her family moved to Seoul for five months. Her writings have appeared in three books and online at the Good Men Project and xojane. She has also told her stories at Madison’s The Moth Grand Slam and at the Listen to Your Mother series.

Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | mothermade.us

LIZ SARGENT is a Korean American adoptee and NY Emmy-winning writer/director. In her work Liz examines themes around adoption, disability, and family. Liz incorporates her background as a choreographer into her commercial and experimental work with films that have premiered at Venice Biennale Danza and Lincoln Center.Her short film STRANGERS’ REUNION was one of five films chosen by Ritz-Carlton and Hearst to be made with mentorship by Mike Figgis and production by RSA Hong Kong. She won a Reel Sisters Fellowship 2022, Asian WomenGiving Circle 2020, and was a top 3 finalist for the SeriesFest Shondaland Directing Mentorship 2022. Liz is a producer with Cyprian Films New York. @lizziesarge

JUDGES

JENNIE OH BROWN, Flutist, is Artist in Residence and Artistic Director at the Epiphany Center for the Arts, Executive and Artistic Director of ensemble collective Picosa, and faculty member at Wheaton College. She is also the founder and faculty member of Credo Flute. Brown is an active performer throughout Chicago and has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera Orchestra. Her solo album, Giantess(2019), was featured in “Howard Reich’s Best Classical Albums of 2019,” (Chicago Tribune). She previously served as Artistic and Executive Director, Ear Taxi Festival 2021. She is a graduate of The Eastman School where she received her Doctorate and Masters of Music Performance, Repertoire, and Literature, and Northwestern University where she received her Bachelors of Music. She is also a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy. She serves on the board of Chamber Music America and on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the Historical Flutes Committee for the National Flute Association.

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

JOYCE KIM is regional producer for The Moth, an organization dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. Through its live storytelling shows, workshops, The Moth podcast, Peabody Award-winning The Moth Radio Hour, and New York Times Best Selling books,The Moth celebrates the diversity and commonality of the human experience.
themoth.org

STEPHANIE H. KIM is a producer for Reset, the daily news talk show at WBEZ-Chicago’s NPR station. Previously, she was an intern for The Morning Shift and a reporter for Hearst Connecticut Media, where she covered education, city government, and other beats. Stephanie has a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and loves all things art, music, and storytelling.

MATTHEW J. MILLER, PhD, (he/him) is Professor at Loyola University Chicago where he currently holds the Fr. Walter P. Krolikowski, SJ Endowed Research Professorship. He directs the Race, Culture, and Health Equity Lab, is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Counseling Psychology, and is a Board Member of the Asian American Psychological Association Executive Committee. He is also a filmmaker and the creator of SPOKENproject, a series of first-person narrative documentary style videos designed to help people cope with racism and also provide experiences of validation, support, and healing.

SAM YU is a queer, gyopo, Korean American who was born and raised in Virginia and currently resides in Chicago. They are passionate about music, pop culture, learning, good conversation, and community organizing. In their free time, Sam enjoys practicing and polishing their vogue.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS