Brian D. Coats, Josephine Huang, and More Lead Pan Asian Rep's THE BROTHERS PARANORMAL

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre continues the 2018-2019 season with the World Premiere of the play The Brothers Paranormal, by Prince Gomolvilas. Directed by Jeff Liu, the six-member cast will feature Brian D. Coats as Felix, Josephine Huang as Noi, Vin Kridakorn as Max, Emily Kuroda as Tasanee, Dawn L. Troupe as Delia, and Roy Vongtama as Visarut. Performances are set to begin Sunday afternoon, April 28, 2019 at 2:30 p.m. in The Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street). Opening Night is set for Wednesday evening, May 1, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. followed by a post-show reception.

A ghost story, The Brothers Paranormal by Prince Gomolvilas, directed by Jeff Liu, follows two Thai brothers who investigate paranormal activities in the Midwest. When the siblings visit the home of an African-American couple, who have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina, their notions of reality, and spiritual beliefs are pushed to a breaking point.

Pan Asian Rep explores-for the first time-Thai-American and African-American intersection, spiritual displacement, and the taboo subject of mental health. May is recognized as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month.

"The play's intersection of genre and race, as well as the exploration of the spirit realm in a country that's doing some deep soul-searching, is what drives my passion for this project" state Prince Gomolvilas. "While I interviewed and shadowed actual paranormal investigators, I also spoke to one of the world's leading experts on dying, death, and grief-all in an effort to explore the play's disparate themes: the trauma of displacement (from one's country of origin, from post-Katrina New Orleans, from the corporeal world); the high incidence of mental health issues among Asian immigrants; and the different ways in which people cope with incredible loss."

Director Jeff Liu had this to share, "The Brothers Paranormal is a ghost story, and as such, it has many of the elements that people find so entertaining about the genre: a supernatural, possibly deadly force, a mystery as to its nature, the banding together of ordinary humans to face it; moments of terror, of surprise, of humor, of genuine human connection." He went on to say, "It is also a drama about how we deal with grief, complicated by family legacies of mental illness and depression. It's about two unlikely heroes, both members of embattled minorities in this country, who find a way to connect and support each other through the worst that life has to offer. Over the course of the play, our protagonists Max and Delia, a Thai-American man and an African-American woman, respectively, form a connection, and I can't remember seeing the intersection between these cultures dramatized so gracefully." He ended by stating, "These connections across differences are exactly what we need more of in these anxious, polarizing times."

The creative team includes Set Design by Sheryl Liu (Daybreak), Costume Design by Hyun Sook Kim (Dream of Red Pavilions), Lights by Victor En Yu Tan (Shogun Macbeth), and Sound Design by Ian Wherle (Sayonara). The Stage Management team is Kristine Schlachter and Sabrina Morabito.

Tickets for The Brothers Paranormal are priced at $62.25, plus $2.25 theater restoration fee, and will play the following performance schedule: Tuesday - Friday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Opening Night tickets on May 1 at 7:00 p.m. are priced at $102.25 and include the post-show reception. Tickets may be purchased at www.telecharge.com, (212) 239-6200, or by visiting the box office. Group, senior and college discounts are available at www.TelechargeOffers.com

There will be Special Student Matinee performances on selected weekdays at 11:00 a.m. To bring your school to a performance and more information, please email info@panasianrep.org or call (212) 868-4030.

If you would like to coordinate a post-show meet & greet with the artists, please call Pan Asian Rep at (212) 868-4030 or emailinfo@panasianrep.org

For more information about Pan Asian Rep, visit www.panasianrep.org. For information about Theatre Row, visit www.theatrerow.org

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