Profile Theatre’s Next Production Is “King of the Yees”

Hot on the heels of its production of Kristoffer Diaz’s wrestling saga The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, Profile Theatre is getting ready for its next play: Lauren Yee’s King of the Yees. It is the second production in Profile’s two-year season exploring the works of Yee (as well as Pulitzer finalist Diaz, and Insecure and Jane The Virgin writer Christopher Oscar Peña).

Women’s Invitational winner at the 2015 Ashland New Play Festival, King of the Yees draws inspiration from Yee’s own life and her relationship with her father and her Chinese American heritage. In a press release, Profile described the play (which is set in the Bay Area) as a “funny, surreal, touching tale explores the importance of culture, race, nationality, and the joys and pains of truly getting to know family.”

“At just 38 years old, Lauren Yee is already one of the most accomplished, widely produced playwrights in the country,” said Josh Hecht, Profile’s artistic director. “Our two-year season investigates American identity in the 21st century, and Lauren’s work explores the complexity of the intersectional American identity in ways that are funny, quirky, charming and full of theatricality and a sense of place. Anyone with aging parents will recognize the pathos, frustrations, joys and embarrassments of the adult parent-child relationship and will laugh until you cry.”

Director Lava Alapai added: “I have always connected with Lauren’s work because she seems to write from a place of a seeking spirit. I identify with that. She’s curious about the world in the same way I am. Family, however it may show up in you, is just the beginning of the story; as long as you keep the story moving.”

King of the Yees will be performed at Imago Theatre through Nov. 20. Tickets and scheduling information are available on Profile’s website.