Zayd Dohrn's Outside People Premieres Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Dec. 21

By Adam Hetrick
21 Dec 2011

Li Jun Li
Li Jun Li
Photo by Peter James Zielinski

The world premiere of Zayd Dohrn's dark comedy Outside People, starring Matthew Dellapina, Nelson Lee, Li Jun Li and Sonequa Martin-Green, begins previews Dec. 21 at the Vineyard Theatre.

A co-production of the Vineyard and Naked Angels, Outside People features direction by Evan Cabnet; the production will officially open Jan. 10, 2012, for a run through Jan. 29, 2012.

"Set in modern-day Beijing, Outside People, Zayd Dohrn's darkly comic new play is the story of a young American man, Malcolm (Dellapina) who falls in love with a young Chinese woman, Xiao Mei (Li). But as his eyes open to the subtle social, political and economic forces that inform their relationship, he must confront his complex place in this foreign culture, the friendship that brought him there, and his own deepest fears and desires," according to press notes.

The production has set design by Takeshi Kata, costume design by Jessica Wegener Shay, lighting design by Ben Stanton and sound design by Jill BC DuBoff.

Dohrn is a playwright and screenwriter living in New York City. His plays — including Sick, Magic Forest Farm and Reborning — have been produced and developed across the country, including at Manhattan Theatre Club, Berkshire Theatre Festival, MCC, Marin Theatre Company, The Public (SPF), Naked Angels, South Coast Rep, The Vineyard, Southern Rep, Kitchen Dog, The Lark, New York Theatre Workshop, and San Francisco Playhouse. He earned his MFA from NYU and was a Lila Acheson Wallace Fellow at Juilliard.

Cabnet recently directed the world premiere of David West Read's The Dream of the Burning Boy for Roundabout Theatre Company, as well as Oliver Parker! and Oohrah! Off-Broadway.

Visit VineyardTheatre.org, or phone (212) 353-0303. The Vineyard is located at 108 East 15th Street.