Interview: Director Jeff Liu of PARANORMAL INSIDE at East West Players

In the Fall of 2022, East West Players presented Prince Gomolvilas’ brilliantly crafted suspenseful thriller The Brothers Paranormal which offered a humorous, compassionate, and sometimes frightening exploration of the trauma of leaving home, whether crossing the country, the globe, or over from the other side, directed with the utmost suspenseful and artistic skill by Jeff Liu.

And now, Liu is directing Prince Gomolvilas’ Paranormal Inside at East West Players, which reunites audiences with Delia and Max (original actors Tamika Simpkins and David Huynh) who bring the characters back to life on the stage again! But can these friends once again navigate the perilous intersection of grief, ancestry, and identity, to overthrow a sinister spirit who threatens to upend the fragile peace they built five years together after the events of The Brothers Paranormal?

I decided to speak with Jeff about his journey directing both plays, the difference between the two scripts and the characters’ friendship, his experience working with its original cast members, and any updates on what a spectacular boo-fest the production promises to be.

Hi Jeff. Thanks for taking some time to speak with me today, given how busy you are. First, please tell me about your experience working theatrically with East West Players over the years.

This will be the 7th mainstage I’ve directed for them, and I served as Literary Manager from 2005-2013. Getting to present a new work as part of the 60th anniversary season is an amazing opportunity, especially when one thinks about the amount of talent that’s worked here over the years.

Where and when did you first meet playwright Prince Gomolvilas?

We designed a Writing is Rewriting workshop for the David Henry Hwang Writers Institute at EWP, which led to me directing one of the early workshops of The Brothers Paranormal.

When did you become interested in the supernatural? And why then?

I was lucky enough to have my parents read to me when I was little, and they introduced me to not only Greek mythology, but Chinese mythology as well. So magical abilities and the supernatural, as well as how they manifest in different cultural contexts, have always been part of my imagination, which naturally led me towards the fantasy and sci-fi genres such as The Lord of the Rings, as well as The Legend of the Condor Heroes (by Louis Cha, who is basically the Chinese Tolkien).

What’s the trickiest or most difficult part of staging ghostly special effects?

Figuring out how to do it well for the budget that you have. As theater folks know, any show can be done for five hundred dollars or five million dollars. But it’s a joy to find the right collaborators for whom achieving those effects is a passion.

How soon after The Brothers Paranormal were you asked to direct Paranormal Inside?

We premiered The Brothers Paranormal for Pan Asian Rep in NYC in 2019. The first workshop of Paranormal Inside was with Theater Mu/Playwrights Center in 2024.

When asked about the play’s creation, playwright Prince Gomolvilas shared, “East West Players, Perseverance Theatre, and Theater Mu had the audacity to offer me a new-play commission. I couldn’t refuse. I found I had more to say about supernatural phenomena, Thai America, cross-cultural connectivity, and the mysterious world in which we all inhabit.” Can you describe a few ways in which that has been accomplished?

Whereas the first play dealt with an external force, a ghost, this one is much more about the demons within, and the ways in which any of us might be “possessed.” How do people of different backgrounds deal with the “hauntings” that are inside of us? It becomes a wonderful metaphor for surviving these stressful times while living in this wealthy, powerful, but not particularly happy country. I’m also optimistic that Buddha and Black Jesus will once again appear on the same set.

Tell me how the storyline of Paranormal Inside updates characters’ lives from The Brothers Paranormal. How has their friendship evolved?

It’s five years later. Thai American Max and African American Delia are older, not necessarily wiser, and unfortunately as the play begins, something has driven these two friends apart. We find out what happened over the course of the play.

How were you able to get the same two actors to take on such pivotal roles again?

What a rare gift for Tamika Simpkins and David Huynh to play these same roles in this highly anticipated National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. They were both eager to do so! In both cases, the roles from The BP were among the favorites of their respective careers.

Tell me about the rest of the actors and how the characters they portray interact with each other.

Max now has a Thai American wife Bincy (Christine Corpuz) who’s pregnant, and a cranky father-in-law (Somboon) who never liked him. The latter is played by Alberto Isaac, a master actor whose career just about spans the entire history of EWP. And Delia gets a visit from niece Tasha (Aja Hinds) she hasn’t seen in years, and the niece’s White Catholic boyfriend Ethan (Davide Costa). So the mix of cultures and generations continues.

How will you be sure audience members who did not see the first play will not feel lost in strange details when seeing Paranormal Inside?

Prince has very carefully included all the info needed for this story to stand on its own.

Are you again blessed with the same artistically creative team who made the first play such a fabulous tour-de-force production? (Including costume design by Hyun Sook Kim, scenic design by John Iacovelli, illusions by Ian O’Connor, props design by Michael O’Hara, lighting design by Brian Gale, sound design by Da Xu, and stage management by Brandon Hong Cheng.) And if not, who is stepping onto the team?

Master designer John Iacovelli is no longer with us, except in spirit! And others like Michael and Da have moved away. But lighting maestro Brian Gale is back with us, as is SM Brandon, and Rye who assisted on props before has now been promoted to designer. Sound maestro John Zalewski wasn’t avail for The BP but the schedule worked out for this one. Old friend Ashphord Jacoway is joining us for hair/makeup. New friends include set design by Randy Wong-Westbrooke, projections by David Murakami, and costumes by JJ Javier. We’re lucky to have Dominik Krzanowski, who’s known as the “Carrie guy,” on visual effects. It’s a wonderful mix of old friends and new.

Does the play take place in the same locations as the first? If not, what are the changes?

Not the same locations. Both Max and Delia have done their best to leave the past behind, Max is now in Sherman Oaks, and Delia’s in Las Vegas. So we had to figure out how to go from a LV café to an LA bedroom back to an LV hotel suite without it taking forever.

How will you quickly morph from location to location?

This was a puzzle and a challenge for Randy, our set designer, and our run crew! Thank goodness one of the major changes happens during intermission. But that’s part of the magic of theater.

Will you be holding talkbacks? And if so, are there any questions you expect to be asked?

Yes, there will be. Please check our schedule if interested. As for questions? How the effects are done. But also what inspired Prince to explore the connection between these particular characters, a combination we don’t often see.

What’s up next for you artistically?

I’m in development on several shows, but one of the common themes is three-dimensional portrayals of Chinese and Chinese American characters, which unfortunately feel as relevant as ever in this latest chapter of “China is the Enemy.” As if any of the great global issues of our time (such as climate change) can be solved without a serious commitment to allyship with China (as well as India).

Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself, the production, or East West in general?

In these times that are dark and strange for so many, when there’s such a history of “divide and conquer,” I’m so grateful to EWP for the opportunity to share this story about characters from wildly different backgrounds. It feels especially meaningful, and our team is working hard to provide our share of scares, as well as laughs and tears for Halloween!

Thanks so much! I am looking forward to jumping out of my seat again while witnessing all the spooky special effects!

Paranormal Inside runs October 9 through November 2, 2025 at The David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center for the Arts at 120 Judge John Aiso Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 in the historic Little Tokyo neighborhood. Performance times are Thursdays (select weeks), Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays (select weeks) at 8 PM, with additional 2 PM “Masked Matinees” on Saturdays making theater more accessible to audiences who prefer a masked experience. A 5 PM opening night performances takes place on Sunday, October 12, 2025. Monday, October 20, 2025 at 8 PM is the Pay-What-You-Will performance.

More information and tickets via email to https://www.eastwestplayers.org/