Phare Ponleu Selpak / Phare, The Cambodian Circus artists will perform at Emerson College, Boston, May 16 – 19, 2019 in the Global Arts Corps production “See You Yesterday”.
Global Arts Corps’ international team of actor/trainers spent 20 weeks working with nineteen Cambodian circus and theater artists to help them use their extraordinary physical skills to shatter a legacy of silence. Made up of second-generation survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide, the theatrical production “See You Yesterday” explores the fragmented stories these young artists have inherited from their parents and grandparents. As the performers unpack the long shadow of a genocidal regime, they transform isolated memories into a shared story of courage and hope.
After two preview performances in Phnom Penh in March 2016, the World Premiere of “See You Yesterday” happened on July 17th, 2016 at the Ubumuntu Arts Festival in Kigali, Rwanda. The cast then traveled to the Kigeme refugee camp in Southern Rwanda, where they played three days for audiences of over 5,000 Congolese refugees each day and conducted workshops and hands-on training with youth. To view the visual report from the Rwandan tour of “See You Yesterday,” click here.
In the spring of 2018, the production was revived with the original cast and toured Battambang, Phnom Penh, and Siem Reap with free, open-air performances for the public. Additionally, the troupe held post-performance workshops with teachers-in-training, supporting the development of curriculum using theatrical arts to foster perceptual change, dialogue, and understanding around some of the most difficult subjects in their recent history. To read more about these events, click here.
After more than five years with the project, the cast’s strength and artistry continue to inspire young Cambodians to engage their elders in dialogue, confront their past with empathy and courage, and transform painful memories into something creative and productive within their own society.
