Joe is completely overwhelmed and honored to have been awarded an Obie Award for his work as ‘Chum’ in Lauren Yee’s Cambodian Rock Band, Directed by Chay Yew, at Signature Theatre, by the American Theatre Wing and Village Voice.
Citation from the OBIE committee:
“Rarely do roles ask an actor to live a whole life onstage, much less one that survives a genocide and fronts a rock band playing guitar and singing in Khmer. Somehow this actor made it all look effortless, making audiences laugh and dance while gutting them emotionally. In a performance that brought decades of history and humanity onstage, he imbued the role with a heartbreaking authenticity and warmth that only comes when a play is perfectly matched with its performer. For his electric and devastating performance as Chum in CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND, the judges have awarded an Obie to JOE NGO.”