The Cambodian Dream

The Last Stage opens its new season with THE CAMBODIAN DREAM, a contemporary play from Cambodian director Niyalic Khun starring four actors from The Acting Art Academy. Told in reverse chronology through scenes from the marriage of young couple Ray and Neary, the play traces backward through moments of pain, suffering and love to question where desire truly comes from - particularly for a woman shaped by society's expectations. At its core, it's a love story between each woman and herself, exploring what it means to be a contemporary Cambodian woman through her being, her desire and her dream. Drawing on Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage (1973) and Alfred de Musset's No Trifling with Love (1834), the piece shows how little the question of women's condition has shifted across a century - and across the fifty years since Bergman's own work. Set against Cambodia's fast, disorienting growth, the story stays grounded in realities many women live today. Director: Niyalic Khun Writers: Ingmar Bergman, Alfred de Musset, Niyalic Khun Cast: Tep Borey, Chou Kuychay, Genevieve Chen Chen, Thong Sopheanith 60 minutes | In Khmer (English & French subtitles) Every Thursday & Friday (9–31 July) at 7:30 PM The Last Stage Riverside $10 Regular | $7.5 for Students