TV and stage comedian Byron Yee will perform his one-man show, Paper Son, about Yee's own journey in heartland America to discover his Chinese heritage on Monday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. in Old Chapel.
Sponsored by Union's East Asian Studies program, the show is free and open to the public.
The comedic and heartfelt production, directed by Glen Chin, explores the passage of Yee's life from Oklahoma to San Francisco, where he learns the nature of poems carved into walls on Angel Island, and the touching stories of the “paper sons” (incoming immigrants who claim to be the sons of Chinese people who have already obtained U.S. citizenship).
Yee also recounts his own inept audition for the movie role of a wacky Chinese restaurant owner, realizing he was unable to speak the pigeon English the filmmakers were looking for. A search for a “real Chinese” accent leads to questions about his heritage, and to the surprising discovery in the National Archives of his father's immigration travails.
The show has enjoyed critical acclaim and sold-out runs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Yee grew up in Oklahoma where, he claims, his apartment was Chinatown. After he first took the stage at a local comedy club in 1983, comedy became the driving force of his life. In 1990, he moved to San Francisco, the “graduate school of stand-up comedy,” and began performing at the Punch Line Comedy Club and the infamous Holy City Zoo. He was featured on NBC's “Friday Night,” on Comedy Central's “Two Drink Minimum,” and for the past few years has been performing “Paper Son” at theatres, colleges, and universities throughout North America.
Yee trained with acclaimed solo performer Charlie Varon and with playwright Amy Freed at the American Conservatory Theatre. He holds bachelor's degrees in chemical engineering and computer science, and he is a graduate of the University of San Francisco with an MBA in finance.
For further information contact Joyce Madancy of the East Asian Studies at (518) 388-6221 or visit the website at: http://www.union.edu/PUBLIC/EAS/CKJ/. More information on the show and the history behind it can be found at http://www.paperson.com.