Color Arc to Present Holiday Comedy PEOPLE OF COLOR CHRISTMAS

The City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department, Museums and Cultural Programs Division is proud to present People of Color Christmas, an original, comedic, contemporary Austin Holiday play written by award-winning Vietnamese American playwright Christine Hoang, Color Arc Productions.

In December 2015, Color Arc Productions premiered its inaugural production People of Color Christmas: The White Elephant in the Room at Ground Floor Theatre. In 2017, Hoang revisited the script and created the new iteration of People of Color (POC) Christmas.

"To create this play, we asked ourselves: 'What stories do you want to tell that you have not yet heard or seen told on stage? What did Christmas mean to you as a kid, and what does it mean to you now as an adult?'" Hoang says. "The outcome of this internal exploration is a play that explores issues of family, race, class, gender, love, and relationships in a heartfelt and hilarious way."

Set at an annual white elephant gift exchange party, POC Christmas is a comedy that universal audiences will find fun, hilarious, and engaging. Through catchy a cappella tunes and tacky Christmas sweaters, discover the heartfelt stories these friends reveal and the white elephant re-gifts they will steal.

POC Christmas is the first show to tour the Museums and Cultural Programs Facilities, rotating between the Asian American Resource Center (AARC), Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC), and the Dougherty Arts Center (DAC), respectively. Over the first three weekends in December (see specific dates below), the production will relocate its holiday set to each of these three sister sites and perform for diverse audiences throughout Austin.

In advance of the performances, on November 16 the George Washington Carver Center will host a free screening of Born-Again Artist, a documentary short by Christopher Kim chronicling the 2015 making of People of Color Christmas: The White Elephant in the Room. This 10-minute film won a juried Best Documentary Short Film award at the Austin Asian American Film Festival in November 2016.

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SEVEN PERFORMANCES ONLY:

Friday, Dec 1 at 8pm (at AARC)

Saturday Dec 2 at 8pm (at AARC)

Friday, Dec 8 at 8pm (at MACC)

Saturday Dec 9 at 8pm (at MACC)

Friday, Dec 15 at 8pm (at DAC)

Saturday Dec 16 at 5pm (at DAC)*

Saturday Dec 16 at 8pm (at DAC)

* One matinee show on Saturday, Dec 16th at 5pm.

TICKETS: FREE admission. For ticket info, go to pocchristmas.eventbrite.com.

POC Christmas is a project produced by Color Arc Productions and is presented by the Museums and Cultural Programs Division of the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department. This project is supported in part by Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

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The Museums and Cultural Program Division of the City of Austin's Parks and Recreation Department gives voice to Austin's imagination, cultural communities and colorful past. Visit our museums, cultural centers, art markets, and outdoor theater for a memorable glimpse of what makes Austin unique. For more information, visit austintexas.gov/department/museums-cultural-centers.

Formed in November 2015, Color Arc Productions' mission is the shine light on diverse stories through theatre, film, and music. For more information, visit colorarcproductions.com, follow us on Instagram @colorarcproductions and like us on Facebook at colorarcproductions.

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