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Prince Gomolvilas (born August 28, 1972) is a
Thai American Thai Americans ( th, ชาวอเมริกันเชื้อสายไทย; formerly referred to as Siamese Americans) are Americans of Thai ancestry. History in the US The 1930 Census recorded just 18 ‘Siamese’ Americans. Acc ...
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
. He has written many
plays Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...
which have been produced in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and won several distinctive
award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An awar ...
s, including a
PEN Center USA West PEN Center USA was a branch of PEN, an international literary and human rights organization. It was one of two PEN International Centers in the United States, the other being the PEN America in New York City. On March 1, 2018, PEN Center USA unifi ...
Literary Award for Drama. He was born in
Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
, the son of
Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...
-born parents. His family moved to
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
when he was age seven and he spent most of his youth in
Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the ...
. He attended
San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...
and received a BA in
film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
and
screenwriting Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession. Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, devel ...
and an MFA in
creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...
and
playwriting A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
.


Playwriting


Plays

In 1992, while living in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, Gomolvilas began writing plays. His plays include ''Big Hunk o' Burnin' Love'' (1998), ''The Theory of Everything'' (2000), winner of the Beverly Hills Theatre Guild/Julie Harris Playwright Award, the International Herald Tribune/SRT Playwriting Award, and the PEN Center USA West Literary Award for Drama, ''Bee'' (2001), and the
stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...
adaptation of ''Mysterious Skin'' (2003), which is based on the
novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
by
Scott Heim Scott Heim (born 1966) is an American novelist from Hutchinson, Kansas, currently living in Massachusetts. Heim's first novel, ''Mysterious Skin'', was published in 1995. Biography Scott Heim was born in Hutchinson, Kansas, in 1966. He attende ...
. In collaboration with musician Brandon Patton, Gomolvilas wrote ''Jukebox Stories'', in which he also performs in. A self-described "storytelling/song-singing/bingo-playing theatrical extravaganza," the three, different full-length shows ran in 2006 as ''Jukebox Stories'', in 2008 as ''Jukebox Stories: The Case of The Creamy Foam'' and in 2013 as ''Jukebox Stories: The Secrets of Forking.'' The initial runs of the shows were at the Impact Theater in
Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...
, but eventually expanded to a wide array of venues including other theaters, coffee shops, bars, colleges, comedy clubs, music venues and more in Boston, Los Angeles, Middletown (CT), Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Smithfield (RI), and Washington (DC), as well as the National Asian American Theater Festival. The show received strong reviews in the
East Bay Express The ''East Bay Express'' is an Oakland-based weekly newspaper serving the Berkeley, Oakland and East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is distributed throughout Alameda County and parts of Contra Costa County every Wednesday. The ''E ...
and the
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...
, was also an "Editor's Pick" in Theatre Bay Area magazine. Gomolvilas' other plays include ''Seat Belts and Big Fat Buddhas'' (1999), ''Debunking Love (2000), ''Boyz of All Nationz: The Rise and Fall of a Multi-Ethnic Boy Band'' (2002), and ''The Fabulous Adventures of Captain Queer'' (2006). He frequently writes comedies with a supernatural twist. Gomolvilas also developed at TheatreWorks in the San Francisco Bay Area the short plays ''Oskar: The Kid That Could'' (which encourages students to embrace reading and writing), ''Oskar and the Big Bully Battle'' (which confronts the issue of bullying), and ''Oskar and the Last Straw'' (which tackles issues of self-worth and resiliency). These three plays have been touring elementary schools throughout the Bay Area since 2006. The Alley Theatre in Houston began touring ''Oskar and the Big Bully Battle'' in 2014, and has commissioned Gomolvilas to write ''Oskar and the Curiously Colorful Clash,'' a play about diversity that will start touring in 2015. To supplement the California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act of 2000, the New Conservatory Theatre Center's YouthAware Educational Theatre in San Francisco commissioned Prince to research, develop, and write the play ''Outspoken'', which explores the many reasons teenagers feel ostracized and which has been touring to middle schools and high schools throughout Northern and Central California since 2005. Recurring themes in his work include the contemporary Asian-American experience, the tension between immigrants and their offspring, queer identity, race relations in the United States, the trauma of displacement, and the complexities of loss and grief.


Short plays

His short plays include ''Cause and Effect on Clement Street'' (Actors' Theatre, Santa Cruz, 1997), ''Donut Holes in Orbit'' (Ensemble Studio Theatre, New York City, 1998), Cyclops (Theatre Rhinoceros, San Francisco, 2001), ''Bridges'' (City Lights Theatre Company, San Jose, 2002), ''The Last Gayorcism'' (Chalk Repertory Theatre, Los Angeles, 2010), ''Chunky Mary'' (Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company, San Francisco, 2010), ''ATM'' (
East West Players East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As the nation's first professional Asian American theatre organization, East West Players continues to produce works and educational programs that give v ...
' Studio Lab Project, Los Angeles, 2011), and ''Heteronesia'' (Impact Theatre, Berkeley, 2014).


Awards

For his play, ''The Theory of Everything'' (2000), Gomolvilas won the PEN Center USA Literary Award for Drama, the Julie Harris/Janet and Maxwell Salter Playwright Award from the Beverly Hills Theater Guild, and the International Herald Tribune/SRT Playwriting Award. For his other plays, Gomolvilas received the
East West Players East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As the nation's first professional Asian American theatre organization, East West Players continues to produce works and educational programs that give v ...
' Made in America Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement for the Asian Pacific Islander Community. Gomolvilas has received grants from the
National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
and Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation. He has also received new-play commissions from the
South Coast Repertory South Coast Repertory (SCR) is a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California. Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson, is led by Artistic Director David Ivers and Managing Direc ...
, the Alley Theatre, the Asian Stories in America Theatre, TheaterWorks, the Impact Theatre, the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, the New Conservatory Theatre Center, the Playwrights Foundation, and the
Center Theatre Group Center Theatre Group is a non-profit arts organization located in Los Angeles, California. It is one of the largest theatre companies in the nation, programming subscription seasons year-round at the Mark Taper Forum, the Ahmanson Theatre and th ...
's Asian Theatre Workshop. His plays has also been developed at American Conservatory Theater, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Bear Arts Foundation's ColorFest, Center Theatre Group, Chalk Repertory Theatre, Ford Amphitheatre, Lark Play Development Center, La Jolla Playhouse, Ma-Yi Theatre Company, and South Coast Repertory, the Asian Stories in America Theatre, The Drill Hall, DueEast Theatre Company, East West Players, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, New Conservatory Theatre Center, Orlando International Fringe Festival, Pork Filled Players, Rude Guerrilla Theater Company, Singapore Repertory Theatre, SIS Productions, Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre, and Vertigo Theatre Productions. Geographically, his plays have been produced around the United States in such cities as Arlington, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, Orlando, Portland, San Francisco, Santa Ana, Seattle, and Washington (DC), as well as in Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Singapore.


Films

Gomolvilas wrote the screenplay for the short film ''Lunchtime'' (directed by Keo Woolford) which was an Official Selection of the Boston Asian American Independent Film Festival, the
Asian American International Film Festival The Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) is the first and longest-running film festival to showcase the works of emerging and experienced Asian and Asian American filmmakers and media artists in the US. The programming includes a di ...
in New York, ''
Outfest Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...
'', the
San Diego Asian Film Festival The San Diego Asian Film Festival ( SDAFF) is an annual event organized by Pacific Arts Movement (formerly the San Diego Asian Film Foundation) that takes place every November in San Diego, California. Background SDAFF is the flagship event for ...
, the Sicilia Queer FilmFest in Italy (where it won a Special Jury Prize), the Thessaloniki International LGBTQ Film Festival in Greece, and Tokyo Asian Queer Film Festival and other film festivals. He has also served on the jury of the South East European Film Festival. Gomolvilas was also selected for a prestigious and competitive screenwriting fellowship with The Chesterfield Writer's Film Project, a program sponsored by Paramount Pictures. Currently, he is developing a feature-length screenplay tentatively entitled ''Straight Face'', for award-winning filmmaker
PJ Raval PJ Raval is a queer first-generation Filipinos, Filipino-United States, American filmmaker known for his documentary films about underrepresented subcultures and identities within the LGBT community, LGBTQ+ community. Raval is a Guggenheim Fell ...
.


Teaching and other work

Gomolvilas has served as the associate director of the Master of Professional Writing Program at the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
, where he is also an assistant professor in writing. He has also taught in the
David Henry Hwang David Henry Hwang (born August 11, 1957) is an American playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and theater professor at Columbia University in New York City. He has won three Obie Awards for his plays '' FOB'', '' Golden Child'', and '' Yellow ...
Writers Institute at
East West Players East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As the nation's first professional Asian American theatre organization, East West Players continues to produce works and educational programs that give v ...
. In 2013, Gomolvilas presented a TEDx talk in "Mind the Gap" at Chapman University. Gomolvilas, who has also lived in
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
,
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, currently lives in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.


Plays

*''Big Hunk o' Burnin' Love'' (1998) *''Seat Belts and Big Fat Buddhas'' (1999) *''The Theory of Everything'' (2000) *''Debunking Love'' (2000) *''Bee'' (2001) *''Boyz of All Nationz: The Rise and Fall of a Multi-Ethnic Boy Band'' (2002) *''Mysterious Skin'' (2003) omolvilas' first play adaptation from a bookref> *''The Fabulous Adventures of Captain Queer'' (2006) *''Jukebox Stories'' (in collaboration with Brandon Patton) (2006) *''The Brothers Paranormal'' (2019)


Awards

*1998: Beverly Hills Theatre Guild/Julie Harris Playwright Award, ''The Theory of Everything'' *1998: International Herald Tribune/SRT Playwriting Award, ''The Theory of Everything'' *2001: PEN Center USA West Literary Award for Drama, ''The Theory of Everything'' *2006:
East West Players East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As the nation's first professional Asian American theatre organization, East West Players continues to produce works and educational programs that give v ...
Made in America Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement for the Asian Pacific Islander Community *National Endowment for the Arts Grant *Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation Grant


References

* * * * * * * * *


External links

*
Jukebox Stories
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gomolvilas, Prince 1972 births 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights Writers from California Living people American people of Thai descent American writers Writers from Indianapolis San Francisco State University alumni American LGBT dramatists and playwrights American LGBT people of Asian descent