PlayMakers Repertory Company will present the regional premieres of three thought-provoking productions in its 2015-2016 PRC2 second-stage series. The series kicks off August 26-30 with Trieu Tran’s powerful one-person show “Uncle Ho to Uncle Sam.”
PRC² features innovative, topical presentations coupled with engaging post-show discussions with the creative artists and expert panelists following each performance. PlayMakers describes the series as “dynamic productions followed by a ‘second act’ of conversation with our audience.”
“Uncle Ho to Uncle Sam,” written by Tran with Robert Egan, who also directs, is the performer’s personal tale of a haunting search for sanctuary. As a young boy, Tran and his family barely escaped the fall of Saigon and the horrors of a Viet Cong re-education camp to become refugees, before at last coming to America. “Uncle Ho to Uncle Sam” is his riveting journey of hardship and brutality, leading to a new world of gang war, hip-hop and Shakespeare on the other side.
The Seattle Times called the performance “a powerful tale of blistering force.” The Hollywood Reporter described it as “poignant … its power is so sustained and undeniable, it makes so many other autobiographical forays seem trivial by comparison.”
Tran’s screen credits include “Hancock” and “Tropic Thunder” and he was also a series co-star of HBO’s “The Newsroom.”
Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. nightly and 2 p.m. on Aug. 30 in the Elizabeth Price Kenan Theatre in the Center for Dramatic Art on Country Club Road. Ticket prices start at $15 and may be purchased at www.playmakersrep.org or by calling (919) 962-7529.
Also featured in the upcoming PRC2 season are “Highway 47,” written and performed by KJ Sanchez (Jan. 6-10, 2016) and “The Real Americans,” written and performed by Dan Hoyle (April 27-May 1, 2016).
Subscription packages for PlayMakers’ 2015-2016 season, including these PRC² shows, are also currently available.
Based in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences, PlayMakers is the professional theater company in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
