Year Zero

Vuthy Vichea is sixteen years old, Cambodian American. He loves hip hop and Dungeons and Dragons. He has thick-ass glasses. He is a weird kid in a place where weirdness can be fatal: Long Beach, California. And since his best friend moved and his mother died, the only person he can talk to is a human skull he keeps hidden in a cookie jar.

Year Zero is a comedic drama about young Cambodian Americans — about reincarnation, reinvention, and ultimately, redemption.

Year Zero began life as Heartbreaker, a ten minute play. After being expanded to a full-length, Year Zero was first publicly read in New York City with Second Generation.

Year Zero was developed at Chicago Dramatists through its Many Voices Project, and was selected as its Grand Prize Winner. It was also a finalist for the 2009 Eugene O’Neill Theater Conference. Year Zero was also nominated for a Jeff Award for Best New Work.

Year Zero world premiered at Chicago’s Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theater in September 2009 and had its New York City premiere at Second Stage Theater in Spring 2010; its West Coast premiere arrived at the Colony Theatre in Summer, 2011.

Year Zero is published and licensed by Samuel French, and is available directly from Sam French or from Amazon.com.

[A] tenderly observed play… These characters are cut from familiar molds, but Mr. Golamco and his appealing cast bring fresh nuances, tempering the earnestness with unassuming charm.

A very smart, sweet, honest and uncommonly moving new play… Michael Golamco is a significant new dramatic voice.

Often surprising, invariably touching… Captures the emotionally complex lives of children of survivors who never quite feel “worthy,”… And the lure (and price) of assimilation.”

Subtle and engrossing… Director David Rose meticulously charts its shifting shades of feeling. [Critic's Pick!]

Superb… Every bit as entertaining as it is dramatic and thought-provoking. Powerful performances, entirely winning.

Extraordinarily perceptive… Humor packed with electric direction and a remarkable cast.

[A] fresh, moving take on conflicted cultural identity… Golamco writes with insight and compassion.

Brilliantly directed… A tender story filled with beautifully calibrated, incendiary performances. [GO!]

Simply great theatre… Full of endearing, likeable characters and a sweet story, Year Zero is a simply marvelous play.

A delicate portrait of lost souls attempting to discover their roots and navigate awkward relationships with one another… Incisive, both dramatically and thematically, leading to a haunting and hopeful climax. [Critic's Pick!]