Title: Producer and Co-Founder
Company: Pork Filled Productions
Location: Seattle, Washington, United States
Roger W. Tang, producer and co-founder of Pork Filled Productions, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Artists for dedication, achievements, and leadership in theater, media and entertainment.
For the past 40 years and beyond, Mr. Tang has devoted himself to supporting the arts, with a particular eye toward advocating for Asian Americans in the theater community. He was first inspired toward this path while performing in the theater during college. At that time, Mr. Tang was friends with a fellow performer, David Henry Hwang, who went on to become a Tony Award-winning playwright. During this early theatrical experience, Mr. Tang realized there wasn’t much Asian American representation in the space, especially considering how rapidly that population was growing in the United States. He didn’t set out to become a voice for Asian Americans, but he became one naturally, simply by honestly and openly engaging on that concern.
Mr. Tang’s journey in the arts space began as a board member and development officer for the Northwest Asian American Theatre in 1984. In this position for nearly 15 years, he was responsible for writing grants and annual fund letters in support of the institution. After stepping back from the Northwest Asian American Theatre, Mr. Tang joined the board of ReAct Theatre in 1999, dedicating another 10 years to this endeavor. This Seattle-based theater concentrates on diversity and celebrates the city’s multiethnic heritage.
Alongside his leadership at various theaters, Mr. Tang has been an editor and publisher at the Asian American Theatre Revue for over 30 years. Launching the website in 1995, he has built a priceless resource that provides both contemporary and historical information on Asian American plays and productions. Additionally, since 2007, Mr. Tang has filled the role of literary manager for SIS Productions, a company led by and focused on works created by Asian American women. Concurrently with his arts roles, he worked as a research strategist at the University of Washington for nearly 40 years, retiring from this role in 2025.
Though proud of each of these accomplishments, Mr. Tang finds particular fulfilment in serving as a producer with Pork Filled Productions, an Asian American theatrical group that he co-founded in 1998. The group started with a focus on sketch comedy — a response to the popularity of comedy in Seattle at the time, paired with the lack of comedy focusing on the Asian American experience. As Mr. Tang and others in the group grew older, they shifted into more traditional, long-form theatrical productions, specializing in genre storytelling like science fiction, horror and superhero stories. Pork Filled Productions has performed shows at numerous theaters in the Seattle area, as well as in Canada.
Before venturing onto his vocational path, Mr. Tang was introduced to the arts while pursuing education. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in communications and a Bachelor of Science in geology from Stanford University in 1979. Subsequently, Mr. Tang earned a Master of Arts in communications behavior from the University of Washington in 1985. Further demonstrating his commitment to uplifting Asian American voices, he is deeply involved in the Coalition of Asian American Theaters and Artists, including recent efforts to secure health care for members.
Beyond his advocacy for the arts, Mr. Tang is also a playwright himself. His play “She Devil of the China Seas,” an action fantasy story about a pirate queen, was awarded Best Original Production by Heilman and Haver for the 2022-2023 season. Mr. Tang has produced plays from such esteemed Asian American writers as Carla Ching, Qui Nguyen, Maggie Lee and the aforementioned David Henry Hwang, among others. His many scripts range from comedy to science fiction to crime dramas.
Even when he’s not working, Mr. Tang remains focused on storytelling, preferring to spend his free time reading science fiction and comic books. That passion explains why he has no intention of retiring from the theater, even though he jokes about being old and staying in the field longer than many others do. Mr. Tang is eager to keep contributing toward making Asian Americans a more prominent part of theater around the U.S., as actors, writers, producers and more. He acknowledges the progress that has been made over his decades of effort but looks forward to even more breakthroughs in the future.
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