Colonialism is Terrible but Pho is Delicious
by Trinity Street Players

Feb. 01 - Feb. 06 (2020)

Directed by Khristián Méndez Aguirre 

From New Play Exchange:

Hanoi, 1890 / Ho Chi Minh City, 1999 / Gentrifying Brooklyn, present day. A triptych about the ownership and authorship of food following the journey of Vietnamese noodle soup.

 

RECOMMENDED BY

  • Nick Malakhow:
    18 Nov. 2019
    “ Beautiful and profound in its simplicity--Chinn crafts a supremely theatrical exploration of appropriation, appreciation, and xenophobia. Everything about this piece is impeccably structured and intentional from the pacing of scenes to the use of doubling to the selection of these three specific moments and places in time. I'd love to see this staged!  ”
     
  • Lisa Sillaway:
    12 Nov. 2019
    “ How do I say this and still be nice? I really kinda hate Dustin Chinn right now, because he's written the kind of play that I have not yet mastered. This is a lovely three-course play that satisfies the foodie in me, the history buff and the political junkie. It's the kind of play I love to read and the kind of play I would love to direct. I feel it would be an amazing choice for high schools who could devour and relish it.  ”
     
  • Rachel Bublitz:
    28 Oct. 2019
    “ An exploration of historic and modern colonialism, appropriation, appreciation, and tradition through pho. Pho IS delicious, and so is this play. It's clever, and funny, and doesn't hold back on the societal criticism. I also appreciated the theatrical dealing with multiple languages and moving through time periods, both are conveyed simply and clearly to the audience, allowing us to use our imagination.  ”

You’re invited to audition for Trinity Street Players’ Workshop Production of Dustin Chinn’s new play, Colonialism Is Terrible But Pho Is Delicious with performances April 24 - May 10, 2020. We are looking to cast 2F/2M.

The cast will triple across three scenes as follows:
Asian Female: Phan/Binh/Danielle
White Female: Gagnier/Rose/Julie
Asian Male: Nguyen/Quang/Sam
White Male: Debré/Hugh/Chris

SCENE ONE
Gagnier, F, 30s - 40s, French aristocrat who runs the household staff of her husband’s colonial estate in French Indochina
Debré, M, 30s, French chef temporarily employed to cover for Gagnier’s recently departed employee
Nguyen, M, 30s, Vietnamese steward, translator and overseer for Gagnier’s native household staff
Phan, F, 30s, Vietnamese cook looking to support her children by working in a French manor


SCENE TWO
Binh, F, 30s, Vietnamese cook who owns and runs a pho stand in Ho Chi Minh City
Quang, M, 30s, Vietnamese front desk clerk for the first international hotel in Ho Chi Minh City
Rose, F, 30s, American food researcher for Burger King
Hugh, M, 30s, American food researcher for Burger King


SCENE THREE
Danielle, F, 30s, Vietnamese American white collar professional living in NYC
Julie, F, 30s, White American food blogger and Danielle’s good friend
Sam, M, 30s, Vietnamese American waiter and stakeholder in a Brooklyn pho restaurant
Chris, M, 30s, White American owner/chef of the pho restaurant


Rehearsal will be five days a week starting March 23 (Friday is usually dark, but that can be changed based on conflicts of cast). Move-in and Tech will begin April 13. Performances will be at 7:30 April 24, 25, 30, May 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 2pm April 26, May 3 & 10.

Compensation will be $800/actor. Conflicts from April 13 on will not be allowed. The playwright will be flying in for opening weekend of the performance.

All rehearsals will be in TSP’s Rehearsal Hall and all performances will be at the Trinity Street Playhouse. Both are located downtown at 901 Trinity Street on the fourth floor of First Baptist Church.

To audition, please email the following no later than February 6 to reservations.tsp@gmail.com with “Colonialism…Pho Audition” in the Memo line.

Name and union status
Email & Phone Number
Ethnicity
Height
Asian actors, note whether you read/speak Vietnamese. White actors, note whether you have a French accent in your repertoire.
List of conflicts for March 23 - May 10, 2020.
List any prior experience working with new works.
Attach a video recording of a 2-3 minute comedic monologue. Doesn’t need to be memorized.
Attach headshot.
Attach resume.

Callbacks will be held if needed. At that time actors will receive a copy of the script to read beforehand and will be asked to read sides from the script at the callback. Do not email to request a script unless you’ve received a callback.