Director Scenic Design Costume Design Lighting Design Composer/Sound Design Properties Design & Set Dressing Production Stage Manager Public Relations Technical Director Set Construction Scenic Artist Production Crew Light Board Operator Sound Board Operator Spot Operators Stage Crew Key Art Production Photography |
David
Rose David Potts Anthony Tran Luke Moyer Peter Bayne MacAndME Leesa Freed David Elzer/Demand PR Robert T. Kyle Red Colgrove Chris Holmes Sean Kozman, Matthew Maldonado Christopher Rivera, Heather L. Waters Kathryn Horan Heather L. Waters Christopher Rivera, Heather L. Waters Travis Moscinski, Brie Quinn Renta Doirean Heldt Michael Lamont |
Vuthy Ra Han Glenn |
David
Huynh Christine Corpuz Tim Chiou Eymard Cabling |
I love immigrant stories.
Every immigrant who has come to America has had to deal with the challenge of honoring the culture of the old country while navigating the complexities of assimilation, an experience that resonates for all Americans, even when we are removed from it by several (or many) generations.
Some of my favorite Colony plays have dealt with the
immigrant experience. “A Day Out of Time” was set on Ellis
Island. “Morning Star” and “Rags” took place on the Lower East
Side of New York among transplanted European Jews. Both settings
are a familiar heritage to many in our audience.
And the plays
were wonderful, still remembered fondly by those who saw them. So
I’m always on the lookout for stories like these.
Then, about a
year ago, in a season brochure for Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theatre, I
came across an announcement of a World Premiere play about
first-generation Cambodian-Americans who live just down the freeway in
Long Beach. It was an immigrant story that was entirely different
– and yet exactly the same. I was intrigued, and determined to
track the play down. I mentioned it to Colony Executive Director
Trent Steelman – and he knew about it! It turned out the play had
received a staged reading at East West Players, where Trent used to
work. He contacted their Artistic Director Tim Dang, who kindly
sent over a copy of the script.
And I fell in love with it.
Here
was a traditional American immigrant story that explored the timeless
issues of cultural memory and assimilation, but in a community many of
us know absolutely nothing about. Most important (to me), I
believed in these people, I cared about them. And that’s the
ultimate test for me, when I read a play. Do I want to spend an
evening with the people the playwright has created, and be a companion
on their journey? In this case, the answer was a resounding “YES!”
I hope you enjoy your journey with Vuthy, Ra, Han, and Glenn, imagined and created by Michael Golamco in “Year Zero.”
– Barbara Beckley