Experiencing strip poker, the Wisconsin Dells, overachievement and eyeliner in one sitting isn't a person's average Thursday night. Unless, of course, that person is performer Rich Kiamco.
Kiamco presented his one-man show, "Unaccessorized," Thursday night as part of Asian-American Awareness Month. The show was co-presented by the Asian-American Student Association and Spectrum.
The award-winning production was written and performed by Kiamco, a Catholic Filipino who grew up in Illinois. It follows his life from childhood through the present and chronicles some of the trials of being both a minority and a homosexual.
"I love to tell stories," Kiamco said, "If you would have told me at 14 that I would be telling my own, I wouldn't have believed it."
In "Unaccessorized," Kiamco acts out every character in his show, not only narrating his life but portraying the figures who shaped it, including his parents, friends, romantic relations and younger versions of himself.
Kiamco got his start in entertainment during a talent show in college, when he performed his first comedic monologue. He said much of his material, both tragic and comic, comes from his own life.
"Tragedy plus time equals comedy," Kiamco said. "[Humor] was how I survived all that pain."
Ben Pankiewicz, a student at the Indiana Academy, said Kiamco's show was enjoyable but surprising. "It was a lot more creative than I expected," he said.
The AASA decided to bring Kiamco to Ball State after seeing him perform at a conference at the University of Michigan. AASA President Lily Tsay said Kiamco is proof of the challenges many Asian-Americans face.
"Any person who society considers a minority already has obstacles ahead of him," Tsay said. "Being gay and being part of a minority can be kind of a double-whammy."
The AASA's next event is a martial arts demonstration to be held at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday in Pruis Hall, with additional events planned throughout the month of November.
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