ACT Theatre Opens UNCLE HO TO UNCLE SAM, 9/13

Vietnamese refugee, former gang member, and now rising Hollywood actor Trieu Tran comes to Seattle to tell what's being described as "a compelling coming of age story in his fearless one man show Uncle Ho to Uncle Sam." ACT – A Contemporary Theatre will stage the world premiere of Tran's bold autobiographical solo performance directed by Robert Egan. Egan also assisted in creating the script.

HBO's The Newsroom now features Trieu Tran in a recurring role, and he has also appeared in such recent blockbusters as Tropic Thunder, Hancock, and the upcoming feature film Trade of Innocents. Also a veteran of live theatre, Tran has performed in dozens of regional plays most notably including the role of Alan Strang in Equus with George Takei with the East West Players and the title role of Oedipus with the Classic Greek Theatre of Oregon. Uncle Ho to Uncle Sam was workshopped at the prestigious Ojai Playwrights Conference in 2011, where ACT Artistic Director Kurt Beattie jumped at the opportunity to bring Tran and his amazing journey to Seattle audiences.

"This was something we just had to do, such an amazing and courageous story," says ACT artistic director Kurt Beattie. "Sometimes a script and a story comes along that is so compelling that you really have no choice but to share it with the world."

In Uncle Ho to Uncle Sam, Tran journeys with his mother and siblings from the fall of Saigon to a Viet Cong re-education camp in the jungle, then to a refugee camp in Thailand, and, finally, to North America. But in the New World he faces a turbulent passage to manhood shaped by his estranged father and by his own estrangement in the land of snow, hip-hop, urban gangs, and clashing cultures.

Creative Team
Robert Egan Director
Carey Wong Scenic Design
Rick Paulsen Lighting Design
Rose Rederson Costume Design
BrenDan Hogan Sound Design
JR Weldon Stage Manager