Give to the Max

My name is Narate Keys and I am a Khmer (pron. “khuh-MAI”) playwright from Cambodia. The Khmer are the largest ethnic group in the country of Cambodia. I am producing a musical called Apsara, which I started to write and develop in 2013. Apsara the Musical is a historical fiction and romance story set during the twelfth century where king Suryavarman II built Angkor Wat and many other temples. There will be original songs composed by Isaac Mayhew, choreographed by Amanda Vang, and directed by Michelle Vang. 

This production is important to share the history of the Angkorian people in our Khmer community. With a population of over 100,000, Minnesota is home to one of the largest and most thriving Southeast Asian diaspora communities in the nation. We are honored to share a story to enrich our underserved community including the Hmong, Khmer, Lao and Viet diaspora communities on reclaiming language through theatre, collective storytelling working with arts markers and  with our actors, singer, producer amongst many others to bring this musical into fruition. 

Apsara the Musical is a passion project. I dreamt of writing about the Angkorian kingdom and sharing the abundance of storytelling of the Khmer people. In 2013 I began thinking about going back to my homeland, Cambodia. My vision came true when I landed in Phnom Penh in 2015. After visiting Angkor Wat and exploring Siem Reap, I began my research and wrote my first musical, Apsara. I'm happy to co-produce this show with director Michelle Vang and choreographer Amanda Vang, two Hmong women and sisters both with great passion and skills in stewarding musical theater productions to life. 

This production was made possible by MN Fringe Festival. We performed 5 shows in August and had over 100+ audiences. Apsara was for all ages to enjoy. 

We encourage you to support our show by donating to MN Fringe Festival. We strongly welcome donations to help acknowledge the otherwise volunteer time, labor, and resources provided toward our next production. Donate today. 

Thank you for supporting the theatre. ຂອບໃຈ. cảm ơn. ua tsaug. អរគុណ. 

Thank you. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Narate Keys and the Apsara, the Musical cast and crew