How many actresses do you know who were born in a village in Northern Thailand, learned English as a teenager, went off to college in Chiangmai… and are now headed to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to perform in a new musical? 21-year-old Yardpirun Poolun, or “Yard,” is a rare find. Hailing from Issan, the northeast region of Thailand known for its hot climate, agricultural industry and deprived economic conditions, Yard comes from a family of farmers. “When I was growing [...]

Melody Butiu is a Los Angeles-based actress working in theater, television and film. Here, she reflects on her experience performing “Land of Smiles” this past December in Changmai, Thailand: “When I first encountered LAND OF SMILES, I had never heard of the Kachin State and the Kachin People. I knew there was political strife in Burma, but I didn’t know how it affected Thailand, and it was all so very removed from me. When I participated in the early readings of the [...]

On December 12th, Land of Smiles opened to enthusiastic audiences at the Gate Theater Group in Chiangmai, Thailand. The show ran for four sold-out performances and received standing ovations every night. Land of Smiles is a fictional, full-length musical about the trafficking and migration of women in Thailand. Inspired by extensive field research including over 50 interviews, Land of Smiles presents a broader look at how the story of trafficking is told, and shows that finding a solution to this [...]

JENNIE KWAN originated her role as Lipoh in the developmental readings of Land of Smiles in Los Angeles this past year, and will be joining the cast in December at The Gate Theatre in Chiang Mai, Thailand for four performances. Jennie was a series regular on Little Shop and California Dreams with guest roles on The Nanny, Family Matters, Beverly Hills 90210, Anger Management and Oliver Stone’s miniseries Wild Palms with film credits in Trojan War and Boy Meets World. She [...]

MELODY BUTIU will be joining the Thailand Production of Land of Smiles with the combined casts from Los Angeles and Chiang Mai in the role of Woman 1/ Soon Nu. She most recently played Estrella in David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s “Here Lies Love” at The Public Theater in New York, directed by Alex Timbers. Melody stars as Mary in Gina M. Garcia’s upcoming feature film, “Untold.” She also appears in the films, Blood Ransom and Atonal. Her Television credits [...]