March 08, 2026
Maria Shaolin/For InterAct Theatre Company
A new play set inside a South Philadelphia salon follows a Lao family confronting a mysterious epidemic and generational tensions.
A family-owned beauty salon in South Philly becomes the setting for a new play examining illness, identity and the ways communities care for one another.
Written by playwright Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay, the story follows three generations of a Lao family when a mysterious and fatal epidemic begins affecting their neighborhood salon. As the family’s matriarch faces a health crisis, relatives must navigate long-standing tensions and shifting political realities.
Set inside a salon that has served as a community gathering place for decades, the play features Lao, Vietnamese and Cambodian characters grappling with questions of visibility, advocacy and generational responsibility.
The play was commissioned as part of InterAct Theatre Company’s ongoing project, “The Philly Cycle,” which focuses on stories connected to life in Philadelphia. The work was developed in partnership with Laos in the House, VietLead and the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia.
The production runs through May 10 at the Proscenium Theatre at The Drake. Preview performances begin April 17, and opening night is April 23. Tickets and additional information are available on InterAct Theatre Company’s website.
April 17-May 10
The Proscenium Theatre at The Drake
302 S. Hicks St.
Philadelphia, PA 19102
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