 |
| Tamika Simpkins is Delia in 'Paranormal Inside' Photo by Daniel Vallejo |
By Darlene Donloe
You can hear the joy and excitement in Prince Gomolvilas’ voice as he talks about the upcoming opening of his latest play, ‘Paranormal Inside,’ set to open at East West Players on October 9 through November 2, 2025.
It’s an anticipatory enthusiasm that engulfs the conversation – and rightly so. This is a sequel to his highly successful play, ‘The Brothers Paranormal.’
“I fully intended THE BROTHERS PARANORMAL to be my last show—a fitting bookend to a career that began at East West Players so long ago,” Prince Gomolvilas said. “But 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.”
Paranormal Inside, directed by Jeff Liu, reunites audiences with Delia and Max – who once again are forced to navigate the perilous intersection of grief, ancestry, and identity- as a sinister spirit threatens to upend the fragile peace they built five years after the events of THE BROTHERS PARANORMAL, also written by Gomolvilas and directed by Liu.
Paranormal Inside promises to be a thrilling ride, with a sinister spirit threatening to disrupt the fragile peace Delia and Max had built.
As the curtain opens, audiences will be transported to a world where the lines between reality and the paranormal are blurred. With its unique blend of horror, drama, and cultural exploration, this play was set to leave a lasting impression on all who experienced it.
The Paranormal Inside cast features the lead actors returning from the 2022 East West Players production of THE BROTHERS PARANORMAL, Tamika Simpkins as Delia, and David Huynh as Max.
The cast also includes Christine Corpuz as Bincy, Alberto Isaac as Somboon, Aja Hinds as Tasha, and Davide Costa as Ethan. Understudies include Dekontee Tucrkile, Ace Christensen, Ratana, and Ryan Beaghler.
PARANORMAL INSIDE finds Max and Delia once again navigating the perilous intersection of grief, ancestry, and identity, as a sinister spirit threatens to upend the fragile peace they built five years after the events of THE BROTHERS PARANORMAL.
As the boundaries between the living and the dead once again dissipate, the play explores the generational trauma and cultural legacies that linger long after the lights go out. Will they survive or be claimed by the forces that haunt their past?
This is the first production of the highly anticipated National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere of PARANORMAL INSIDE.
The production marks another milestone in Gomolvilas’ prolific collaboration with East West Players, which includes ‘Big Hunk O’ Burnin’ Love' (1998), ‘The Theory of Everything’ (2000), “Mysterious Skin’ (2010), and the East West Players Theatre for Youth show ‘Scrimmage’ (2019).
Prince Gomolvilas
I recently caught up with Gomolvilas (PG) to talk about the show.
DD: Why did you become a playwright?
PG: I have a natural facility for writing dialogue. I always wanted to write since I was a kid. I would write scenes and include my stuffed animals in them. When I arrived at college, I channeled all that energy into writing.
DD: Did you grow up around the theater?
PG: Growing up in Indiana and Monrovia, CA, the concept of theater wasn't in our consciousness. My parents are Thai immigrants. Our media were TV and radio. I went to a couple of plays in high school.
DD: Is writing difficult?
PG: It’s one of the hardest things in the world. It’s like pulling teeth.
DD: How do you write?
PG: I need to be on a deadline or I will procrastinate. I have a 3 p.m. deadline to get all rewrites done today. They have to be delivered to the stage manager.
DD: What inspired you to write a sequel to The Brothers Paranormal (about two Thai brothers who launch a business to investigate paranormal activities. They investigate the home of an African American couple, who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Their notions of reality, fantasy, and sanity clash against the shocking truth. How did you approach the challenge of continuing the story?
PG: ‘Brothers’ said everything I needed to say. I never thought there would be a sequel. It was one and done. East West, Theater Mu (Minneapolis), and Perseverance Theater in Juneau, Alaska, offered a co-commission to write a sequel. The play was really successful.
DD: Are you ever satisfied with something you’ve written?
PG: For a particular production – yeah, but I’m always thinking about what I can change.
DD: Can you walk us through your writing process for ‘Paranormal Inside,’ and how you developed the characters and plot?
PG: The two lead characters have a documented backstory in ‘Brother Paranormal.’ Max and Delia – they went through an entire play together. I had already done all that rich character work. I had to think about how to get them on the next leg of their journey. I had to build out the other characters. I do one character at a time.
DD: How do you explore themes of grief, ancestry, and identity in ‘Paranormal Inside,’ and what do you hope audiences take away from the play?
PG: I’m trying to Trojan Horse some big themes in a popular genre, which is horror. It's a mainstream genre not always taken seriously, but it’s fun. Themes of cultural identity, loss and grief, inheritance and ancestry – these things have been on my mind. My mother’s dementia was aggressive. My father needs to be taken care of. These things are present in my life and in my mind. They find their way into ‘Paranormal Inside.’ It comes from an emotional place. I’m forced to confront things. It can be cathartic. Holding it in can cause problems.
DD: The play touches on intergenerational trauma; can you discuss how you incorporated this theme into the story?
PG: I felt the need because the question is present in everyone’s mind. The rise of epigenetics. The way things are passed down from one generation to the next. Family lineage and history have been a growing obsession. The subject is unavoidable.
DD: How have Max and Delia's characters evolved since the events of ‘The Brothers Paranormal,’ and what challenges do they face in this new installment?
PG: They went through a horrific experience together. There was an understanding that they would get through their grief together. The play ended on a hopeful note. They are estranged after five years. She doesn't want to live through past trauma. Max is a reminder of that trauma. He is married and has a child on the way in this play. People believe an evil spirit possesses him. He goes to Delia, who is not happy to see him.
DD: What role do the supporting characters play in the story, and how do they contribute to the overall narrative?
PG: Max’s wife, Bincy, is in the show, and so is his father-in-law, Somboon. They are Thai. Max is Thai-American. Delia has a niece named Tasha. She has a white fiancé named Ethan. They come to Delia for guidance.
DD: What was it like collaborating with director Jeff Liu on ‘Paranormal Inside,’ and how did you work together to bring the play to life?
PG: We have known each other for years. He helped on ‘Brothers Paranormal.’ He has a deep understanding of the play. He also helmed the East West production in L.A. He and I have a shorthand. He knows what I’m aiming for. I know what he’s aiming for.
DD: How does your own experience as a Thai-American playwright influence your writing, particularly in exploring themes of identity and cultural heritage?
PG: You’re always told to write what you know. It can easily be misinterpreted. You can only write what you know if you think it’s your life. It’s what you know about the world, and what you know is true about friends and family. I have some familiarity with Thai-American characters, as well as Black characters, in all shapes and sizes, because they have been in my orbit for my entire life. I’m not writing about your woe-is-me.
DD: Are there any personal connections or experiences that you drew upon when writing Paranormal Inside?
PG: The play explores themes related to the paranormal. I'm not sure if any of the characters exactly reflect me, but their inner lives do. I identify with everyone in this play because of their beliefs and viewpoints.
DD: Why should people see this play?
PG: People who are into horror will be pleased with our world-class design team. They pulled off a big spectacle. There is also a family story, and what it says about lineage and ancestry.
DD: Describe how you feel and what you do the day your plays open.
PG: You mean if I don’t throw up. I’m super-nervous until the day is over. I’m also super excited. A lot of people say you should write for yourself. For me, I think about my audience a lot. I want to be liked. I love thinking about the people who will receive this play and how to calibrate each moment to their needs. I enjoy sitting with an audience and watching the play alongside them.
DD: Are you currently working on anything?
PG: I was commissioned to write another play called ‘Artificial,’ a comedy about AI. I have developed it.
Director Jeff Liu helmed both the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre and East West Players stagings of THE BROTHERS PARANORMAL, as well as EWP’s ‘Ixnay’ (2009), ‘Chinglish’ (2015), and ‘Unbroken Blossoms’ (2024).
East West Players (EWP) is reportedly the nation’s longest-running Asian American theater and the largest producer of Asian American artistic work.
PARANORMAL INSIDE, 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,
October 9, 2025, through November 2, 2025.
Performance times are Thursdays (select weeks), Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays (select weeks) at 8 p.m., with additional 2 p.m. matinees on Saturdays and 5 p.m. performances on Sundays.
Opening Night is scheduled for Sunday, October 12, 2025, at 5 p.m. All Saturday 2 p.m. performances are “Masked Matinees,” making theater more accessible to audiences who prefer a masked experience.
The Pay-What-You-Will performance takes place on Monday, October 20, 2025, at 8 p.m. Special events during the run of PARANORMAL INSIDE include Student Night on October 16, a Playwright’s Conversation after the October 19 performance, an Artist Talkback after the October 26 performance, and a Halloween costume contest to accompany the October 31 performance.
All performance dates and details are subject to change.
No comments:
Post a Comment