Westport production begins with family fleeing Saigon

Vi Tran’s autobiographical play about his family’s flight from Saigon is coming to a stage in Westport.

“The Butcher’s Son” tells the story of Tran’s family after fleeing Saigon, including their capture by the Khmer Rouge, the uncertainty of life in refugee camps and their arrival in the United States with little more than the clothes they wore.

Tran is a storyteller, actor, musician and arts advocate. He began performing as a toddler in refugee camps in Southeast Asia.  He hosts Hello Art’s monthly First Friday art tours and has worked as a facilitator for Artist INC and the Coterie Theater’s playwriting-in-schools program. As a solo musician and leader of the Vi Tran Band, Tran has released two albums,”Goodbye, Summer” and “American Heroine.”

Mackenzie Goodwin directs this cabaret-style “radio play” that integrates spoken word, song and poetry to share a story similar to many immigrant families both past and present. Goodwin is the commons producer for HowlRound.com, for which she covers theater events and artists, and an associate for Hello Art, a Kansas City-based arts advocacy organization. Goodwin is also frequent contributor to The Living Room Theatre, working as a director, actor, stage manager and volunteer coordinator.

Details

• Westport Center for the Arts presents “The Butcher’s Son” at the Buffalo Room, 817 Westport Road, on the south side of Westport Flea Market.
• Aug. 7-11 and Aug. 14-16, and Aug 17-18.
• Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and Mondays, and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $12 in advance, and $15 at the door. Advance tickets are available through Brown Bag Tickets.
• A public preview performance will be on Aug. 6; admission is $10 for preview night.