NOTES FROM THE DRAMATURG: Jieun lee

In BFE, several of the themes that Cho explores throughout many of her works are intertwined: Koreanness, family obligations, the pressures of assimilation that can lead to isolation and a loss of identity, and the “otherness” of being viewed (and viewing oneself) as different. Cho is not one to shy away from difficult issues pertaining to race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, intergenerational and intercultural conflicts, and in fact, her art of playwriting is precisely in bringing these issues to light. By doing so, Cho leads her audience to complex worlds where emotionally injured people confront each other and confront themselves, yet always try to find some type of reconciliation on their journey toward a sense of belonging that seems to constantly elude them. Cho stated: “I believe plays are journeys, and they should take you somewhere you’ve never been—whether it’s a new thought, a new place or a new way to look at something familiar.” UGA Theatre’s production of BFE will bring you to a place that is out of nowhere but find a new way for you to see something familiar.