MRT Presents EXPLORE Cambodian Rock Band

Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT), in association with the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association, will host EXPLORE: Cambodian Rock Band, a free community event with guest speakers, live music, premiere video, and Cambodian fare from local restaurants, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 1, at MRT in the Nancy L. Donahue Theatre, 50 E. Merrimack Street.

Free to all, the theatre requests RSVPs at www.mrt.org/cambodianrockband. Or call the Box Office at 978-654-4678.

The party is an opportunity to explore the singular sensation that is Cambodian Rock Band - a play with music by Lauren Yee at MRT from October 16 to November 10. The play features songs by Dengue Fever, Sinn Sisamouth, Voy Ho, and Ros Serey Sothea. In 1978, a father flees Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime. Thirty years later, his daughter attempts to piece together her family history, kicking off the events of Cambodian Rock Band, "a riveting play that's part mystery, part history lesson, and part unabashed jukebox musical concert," according to Broadway World. Rock Band celebrates the resilient bond of family through hardship and sacrifice and the enduring power of 70s music.

The actors play their own instruments with powerful performances of 13 songs in Cambodia's Signature Sound: a jubilant mix of melodic pop, 60s psychedelia, and California surf rock. The Los Angeles Times said, "A fierce, gorgeous, heartwarming, comedic fairy tale. Yee has made her characters so joyfully and ridiculously human that it's impossible not to identify with them."