Pavithra Prasad's The Occidental Moon & Sushma's One Night of Thunder 

Spark Theater, 985 Sante Fe Drive, Denver CO 80204

Jan 30-Feb 22, 2015;
Fri & Sat 7:30pm,
Sun 2pm;
no show Fri Feb 6;
added show Mon Feb 16, 7:30pm
free parking on street after 6pm & on Sundays tickets: 720-282-3447; $26 at door, $23 advance paid reservations, $20 students/seniors 65+/groups of 6+ with advance paid reservations, $2 fee per ticket for credit card purchases

Prasad's witty solo performance work, The Occidental Moon, features Peter Trinh, whose riveting performance TEA audiences will remember from last year's Dust Storm. This year Trinh tackles with equal power a rumination on the moon, exploring the impulses of space travel and exploration, weaving between genres of pop music, mythology, sci-fi and memory.

Combining critical theory and art practice, Moon delves into how South Asian cultural and national identities are imagined through extraterrestrial adventure. Equal parts colonial fantasy and post-colonial redemption, this zany and brainy romp orbits around and through the hubris of human endeavors, on this planet and beyond.

Originally from India, Prasad holds a PhD in Performance Studies from Northwestern University. Currently teaching at University of Denver, she is both a performer and scholar, whose research centers on critical ethnography and post-colonial theory. She also serves on the Board of TEA.

Sushma's cheeky one-act, One Night of Thunder, takes place in Assam, India, an area known for its tea plantations and multiethnic population. Set in the estate¹s mansion, three generations of women [Grandma, Mom and Daughter] orbit around the Departed Man, their life paths blocked by the gravitational force he continues to exude, until one thunderous night, another Man enters.  Past, present and future dreams collide in one violent moment, altering their lives forever.

With this premiere, TEA welcomes actors new to TEA: Yasmin Sweets as Mom, Tarika Cefkin [who serves on the Board of TEA] as Daughter, Amit Patil as the Intruder and Robert Payo as the Detective.  Playwright Sushma, who is also a TEA co-artistic director, plays Grandma, but as a life size puppet!

Sushma hails from India, where she was the associate director of one of its most respected theatre companies, the Shri Ram Centre Repertory. Also a visual artist, her works have been exhibited in India, France and the US. TEA is the Southwest¹s first and only Asian American theatre company, dedicated to: - presenting contemporary Asian Western narratives that address the human condition, - providing work to Asian American theatre artists, and - promoting better understanding among Asian American communities and between them and the majority culture. Contact: Maria Cheng, mariachengtea@gmail.com, 720-282-3447, www.theatre-esprit-asia.org