Prince Gomolvilas
Encyclopedia
Prince Gomolvilas is a Thai American
playwright
. He has written many plays
which have been produced in the United States
and won several distinctive award
s.
He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana
, the son of Thai-born parents. His family moved to California
when he was age seven and he spent most of his youth in Monrovia
. He attended San Francisco State University
and received a BA
in film
and screenwriting
and an MFA
in creative writing
and playwriting.
In 1992, while living in San Francisco
, Gomolvilas began writing plays. His plays include Big Hunk o' Burnin' Love (1998), The Theory of Everything (2000), winner of an international contest, Bee (2001), and the stage
adaptation of Mysterious Skin (2003), which is based on the novel
by Scott Heim
.
Prince Gomolvilas, who has also lived in Bangkok
, Thailand
, currently lives in Los Angeles
.
Thai American
A Thai American is an American of whose parents or grandparents came from Thailand. Many of them may in fact be of Thai Chinese or at least part Chinese ancestry, but they are still considered to be Thais.-History in U.S.:...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
. He has written many plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
which have been produced in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and won several distinctive award
Award
An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...
s.
He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, the son of Thai-born parents. His family moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
when he was age seven and he spent most of his youth in Monrovia
Monrovia, California
Monrovia is a city located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 36,590 at the 2010 census, down from 36,929 at the 2000 census...
. He attended San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
and received a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and screenwriting
Screenwriting
Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is a freelance profession....
and an MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
and playwriting.
In 1992, while living in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, Gomolvilas began writing plays. His plays include Big Hunk o' Burnin' Love (1998), The Theory of Everything (2000), winner of an international contest, Bee (2001), and the stage
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
adaptation of Mysterious Skin (2003), which is based on the novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Scott Heim
Scott Heim
Scott Heim is an American novelist from Hutchinson, Kansas, currently living in Massachusetts. Heim's first novel, Mysterious Skin, was published in 1995.- Biography :...
.
Prince Gomolvilas, who has also lived in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, currently lives in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
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) [Gomolvilas' first play adaptation from a book]
- The Fabulous Adventures of Captain Queer (2006)
- Jukebox Stories (in collaboration with Brandon PattonBrandon PattonBrandon Patton is a songwriter and bass player from the United States of America. He has recorded four solo albums, plays bass for MC Frontalot under the name BL4k Lotus, and performs with Prince Gomolvilas in the show Jukebox Stories. He has also played bass for Futureboy and Jonathan Coulton...
) (2006)
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 PlayersEast West PlayersEast West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As one of the nation's first Asian American theatre organizations, East West Players today continues to produce works and educational programs that give voice to the Asian Pacific American...
Made in America Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement for the Asian Pacific Islander Community