Samsara
by Lauren Yee
Co-Directed by Jamie M Rea and Ajai Tripathi
A comedy from one of the most produced playwrights in the U.S.
Katie and Craig are having a baby… with a surrogate… who lives in India. A month before the baby’s due date, Craig reluctantly travels to the subcontinent, where he meets Suraiya, their young, less-than-thrilled surrogate. As all three “parents” anxiously wait for the baby to be born, flights of fancy attack them from all sides, in the form of an unctuous Frenchman and a smart-mouthed fetus. A whimsical take on modern day colonialism.
Samsara features both special Friday night pre-show performances by local artists and Sunday afternoon post-show discussions curated by Subashini Ganesan, chair of the Oregon Arts Commission, former Create Laureate of Portland, and Founder and Artistic Director of New Expressive Works.
Thursday, January 23rd @ 7:30pm | First Preview, Pride Affinity Night
Friday, January 24th @ 7:30pm | Second Preview
Saturday, January 25th @ 7:30pm | Opening Night!
Sunday, January 26th @ 2pm | Mat Chat
Thursday, January 30th @7:30pm | BIPOC Affinity Night
Friday, January 31st @ 7:30pm
Saturday, February 1st @ 7:30pm
Sunday, February 2nd @ 2pm | Mat Chat
Thursday, February 6th @ 7:30pm
Friday, February 7th @ 7:30pm
Saturday, February 8th @ 7:30pm
Sunday, February 9th @ 2pm
Meet the Team!
Lauren Yee | Playwright
About Lauren Yee
Lauren Yee is a playwright, screenwriter, and TV writer born and raised in San Francisco. She currently lives in New York City.
Her CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND, with music by Dengue Fever and others, premiered at South Coast Rep, with subsequent productions at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, Victory Gardens, City Theatre, Merrimack Rep, and Signature Theatre. Her play THE GREAT LEAP has been produced at Denver Center, Seattle Rep, Atlantic Theatre, Guthrie Theatre, American Conservatory Theatre, Arts Club, InterAct Theatre, Steppenwolf, Pasadena Playhouse/East West Players, and Cygnet Theatre.
Lauren Yee’s play KING OF THE YEES premiered at The Goodman Theatre and Center Theatre Group, followed by productions at ACT Theatre, Canada’s National Arts Centre, and Baltimore Center Stage. Other plays include CHING CHONG CHINAMAN (Pan Asian Rep, Mu Performing Arts), THE HATMAKER’S WIFE (Playwrights Realm, Moxie, PlayPenn), HOOKMAN (Encore, Company One), IN A WORD (Young Vic, SF Playhouse, Cleveland Public, Strawdog), SAMSARA (Victory Gardens), THE SONG OF SUMMER (Trinity Rep, Mixed Blood), and THE TIGER AMONG US (Mu).
She is the winner of the Doris Duke Artist Award, the Steinberg Playwright Award, the Horton Foote Prize, the Kesselring Prize, the ATCA/Steinberg Award, American Academy of Arts and Letters literature award, and the Francesca Primus Prize. She has been a finalist for the Edward M. Kennedy Prize and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Her plays were the #1 and #2 plays on the 2017 Kilroys List.
Lauren is a Residency 5 playwright at Signature Theatre, New Dramatists member (class of 2025), Ma-Yi Writers’ Lab member, former Princeton University Hodder fellow, and Playwrights Realm alumni playwright. Current commissions include Arena Stage, Geffen Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, Portland Center Stage, Second Stage, South Coast Rep.
Jamie M Rea | Co-Director
About Jamie M Rea
Jamie has had the pleasure of exploring theatre as a tool for connection and change for over 20 years. After directing in LA, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Ohio, New York, and Portland, she now serves as founding co-artistic director of The Beirut Wedding World Theatre Project. Recent local credits include Jesus Hopped the A-Train, CoHo/Beirut Wedding, Topdog Underdog (Street Scenes) and B*tch in Kitchen as part of Salt with Shaking the Tree.
Jamie’s activism work has a heavy focus on survivors of sexual violence. Two local projects include the development of and tour of Telling – a piece where survivors tell their own stories with facilitated audience conversations (3 year partnership with OAASIS – a Portland based resource and advocacy organization for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse). And Made to Dance in Burning Buildings, an interdisciplinary dance/theatre piece of a survivor’s reclamation of self as she navigates PTSD.
Ajai Tripathi | Co-Director
About Ajai Tripathi
Ajai Tripathi is an Actor, Director, Producer, and Playwright. He graduated from OSU with a BA in Theatre Arts, has worked as an Education Director, Teaching Artist, and Acting coach with Milagro, and Northwest Children’s Theatre and School. He has written three bilingual shows for young audiences for Teatro Milagro, and serves on the administrative team of PDX Playwrights. His work is guided by the mission of centering marginalized communities, decolonizing theatre and academia, and advocating for inclusive practices in the arts.
Supplemental Events
Affinity Nights
Pride Affinity Night invites LGBTQIA+ community members to enjoy discounted $5 tickets (use promo code REGGIEPRIDE at checkout) and a pre-show reception with complimentary wine and door prizes.
BIPOC Affinity Night invites members of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color community to enjoy discounted $5 tickets (use promo code REGGIEBIPOC at checkout) and a pre-show reception with complimentary wine and door prizes.
At the theater, check in at the box office and let staff know you’re attending Affinity Night so that we can welcome you to the party!
Mat Chats
Mat Chats are post-show opportunities for the audience to take a deeper dive into the world and themes of the play with artists, experts, and educators. They take place on the stage five minutes after the Sunday matinees.