Opening Night Post Show Discussion Announced For LETTERS FROM HOME at Merrimack Repertory Theatre

Letters From Home manifests the deep connection between father and daughter. Part of Kalean Ung is awakened when she discovers letters written to her father, Chinary Ung, from their relatives during the Cambodian Genocide. As she digs into the letters, she discovers more and more about the process of intergenerational healing, incorporating her history as an actor with her newly learned lineage. Both devastating and humorous, Letters From Home reminds audiences that life is painful and lucky all at once. Through mystery, myth, and unbreakable bonds, Kalean is transformed by this poignant and personal journey.

Letters From Home opens at Merrimack Repertory Theatre on January 21st at 8 p.m. Following our Opening Night performance, Kalean will be joined in discussion by Chinary Ung, whose compositions are embedded in Letters From Home.

Chinary Ung is a notable composer, infusing the rich cultural heritage of traditional Cambodian musicinto the modern sounds of the Western orchestra. He is currently a Distinguished Professor of Music at University of California San Diego. During his fabled career, Chinary became the first American recipient of the Grawemeyer Award for musical composition. Most recently, he was inducted in the 2020 class of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. Excelling as a composer for more than four decades, Ung's prolific orchestral catalog has been commissioned and performed by major orchestras throughout the United States and abroad. Boston Modern Orchestra Project released a recording of Ung's orchestral music in 2015. His work has been commissioned by the Meet the Composer/Reader's Digest Commissioning Program, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Ford, Koussevitsky, Joyce, and Barlow Foundations. In 2014 he was given the John D. Rockefeller 3rd Award by the Asian Cultural Council.

Chinary Ung is dedicated to preserving Cambodian culture and has spent years cultivating a cultural exchange between the East and the West. In Letters From Home, master composer meets master actor, as father meets daughter in a complete exchange of art and culture.

For tickets and further information, visit www.mrt.org or call the Enterprise Bank Office at 978-654-4678. Tickets start at $15 with 2-for-$30 specials available for select performances. MRT's COVID policy does require that all guests wear masks at all times. The theatre does not require vaccine or test proof.

Once Letters from Home concludes its East Coast premiere, MRT will move forward in preparation for its final two performances of its 44th season, featuring How High the Moon: The Music of Ella Fitzgerald, conceived by Rob Ruggiero and featuring Tina Fabrique, running from May 3-21, 2023, as well as a new adaptation of Red Riding Hood by Allison Gregory geared towards younger audiences, running from April 6-16, 2023.

Other discounts are also available for Letters from Home, including student discount ticket prices of $15 to any show, in person, by phone, or online. For Middlesex Community College (MCC) and UMass Lowell (UML) students, $10 tickets are available with Student ID proof required for ticket pickup. Recurring discounts include the $5 first night, $10 Lowell night as well as Educator, Group, Military discounts, and much more. For further information, visit www.mrt.org/discountsandevents or contact the Enterprise Bank Office at box_office@mrt.org or 978-654-4678.

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