Writer to perform her work tonight

Written by Anna Katzkova

Tuesday, 11 November 2008 10:34 PM

Vietnamese roots and a Texan birth combine to form an award-winning writer and performer. Growing up in Texas, Lan Tran moved to California at age 6, but she never forgot her Austin home. For Asian Heritage Month, Tran will perform with a true Southern drawl her one-woman play, “How to Unravel Your Family,” at 6:30 tonight at the University Center Bluebonnet Ballroom. The performance’s name came from its earlier versions when Tran knitted a scarf and unraveled it to make it seamless. “Unraveling means making something fall apart, but it also has the connotation of understanding,” she said. “Take something apart to put it together.” Tran’s interest in history took a while. As a child, her father tried to teach her Vietnamese background in an “academic way,” but she never paid attention. Communists forced her grandfather to commit suicide to keep his family alive, so Tran’s dad became anti-communist. One night, she was in the kitchen working on a Texas history project, building a chuck wagon. To please her dad, she painted it in the colors of the Vietnamese flag. “What I did in reality was paint the communist flag,” she said. “He blew up and from that moment-on, I actively became ignorant to his causes to teach me history.” As time progressed, she became interested in her roots and learning the parallels in both the U.S. and Vietnam. “Ultimately, I think that embracing your identity is the same as embracing your individuality in coming to embrace yourself,” she said. Performing by accident after misreading a class title and taking a stage presence class instead of “stage writing.” Isabelle Thuy Pelaud, San Francisco State University Vietnamese American Studies Center associate professor, met Tran through her performances and said her stage presence, acting and humor “created a strong connection with the audience.” Tran’s talent has been featured at New York City Hall, the REDCAT Theater and Ford’s Theatre. She won awards, like the PEN/Rosenthal Fellowship, which recognizes minority voices, and The Lamar York Prize for Nonfiction. She has performed shows at Harvard and Stanford universities, but never at a Texas school. “I’ve been wanting to but I didn’t know how to go about it,” she said. “When Leticia Martinez called me, I was thrilled.” Multicultural Affairs director Leticia Martinez was impressed with Tran’s appearances for the Pan Asian Repertory Theater, which hosts prestigious old and new artists. “I liked that it mixed drama and humor which will be a great entertainment factor for our audience,” Martinez said. “Plus, you don’t have to be Asian to enjoy it.” Views: 877 | E-mail   Be first to comment this article Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6 AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com All right reserved

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