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What You Are Now

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Are we stuck with our memories—or can we fix them? Pia is a neuroscientist whose research focuses on changing the way we process traumatic experiences. Will Pia's emotionally distant mother—who survived the Khmer Rouge in 1970s Cambodia—benefit from her daughter's work? Or are some things just too terrible to remember?

Includes a conversation with Dr. Daniela Schiller, a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychiatry at the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

"What You Are Now" is part of L.A. Theatre Works' Relativity Series of science-themed plays. Lead funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world.

Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood in November 2022

Directed by Anna Lyse Erikson

Producing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg

An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast recording starring:

  • Carie Kawa as Pia
  • Tess Lina as Chantrea
  • Joe Ngo as Darany
  • Samantha Quan as Siobhan
  • Mark Jude Sullivan as Evan
  • Greg Watanabe as the Narrator

    Senior Producer: Anna Lyse Erikson

    Prepared for Audio by Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood

    Recording Engineer, Editor and Mixer: Charles Carroll

    Sound Design by Charles Carroll and David Wilson

    Senior Radio Producer: Ronn Lipkin

    Foley Artist: Jeff Gardner

    The original song "What You Are Now" is by Him Sophy, founder of the Him Sophy School of Music in Pnomh Penh. Special thanks to Professor Craig Woodson and Dr. Terry Miller for their recording of "The Sorrowful King" from "Roots of Rhythm.net."

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      • AudioFile Magazine
        Japanese American actor Carie Kawa and Khmer/Chinese/American actor/musician Joe Ngo bring authenticity and a smart conversational style to this heartrending story. A Cambodian brother and sister brought up in the United States struggle with their mother's bouts of depression and anger. The mother, portrayed with defiant warmth and dark humor by Philippine American actor Tess Lina, is a survivor of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime of Cambodia in the 1970s. The sister is a neuroscientist who is studying the effects of trauma and violence on the brain. Has she discovered a way to erase her mother's painful memories? Should she? This L.A. Theatre Works live production offers a heady mix of fine theater, speculative science, and a deep dive into the effects of trauma on an entire culture. B.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
      • Library Journal

        June 1, 2023

        Memory, forgetting, and generational trauma take center stage in Chanse's (Lydia's Funeral Video) latest play. Cambodian American neuroscientist Pia (narrated by Carie Kawa) has spent years researching new ideas for helping the mind heal from traumatic memories. Yet she is taken aback by the reappearance of an old acquaintance (narrated by Samantha Quan), who brings back unwelcome memories of her own worst trauma from 10 years ago. Flashbacks allow listeners to see the deep connections between Pia-past and Pia-present. Pia's mother, Chantrea (narrated by Tess Lina), a survivor of the Khmer Rouge, was a pivotal figure, shaping the lives of Pia and her older brother Darany (narrated by Joe Ngo). The contrasts between smart, prickly Pia, fun-loving Darany, and haunted Chantrea give the play its nucleus, exerting an energy that pushes away well-meaning outsiders such as Pia's ex-partner Evan (narrated by Mark Jude Sullivan). Unfortunately, audiobook audiences may struggle to fully absorb the characters' interpersonal dynamics, as the play's essential body language is not accessible through audio. The result is a work that is intriguing in its hypothesis but less successful in its application and conclusion. VERDICT A play that questions and affirms the power of trauma, with mixed results in audio.--Robin Chin Roemer

        Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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