Siamese Collective to Present First Look at New Play KHAM (Crossing)

A free, open showcase of KHAM (Crossing) will be presented at the Drama League Studio on November 3, 2025, at 7 PM EST, with support from the Drama League Special Residency and Thai Theatre Foundation. The cast features Heen Sasithorn and Benjamin Lang.

KHAM (Crossing) is an investigative, bilingual memoir play with music installation. It unravels the personal journey of a Thai immigrant as she crosses the Death Railway Bridge. Renowned for its brutal and unforgiving conditions, this railway bridge bore witness to the suffering of countless Allied prisoners of war and Asian migrant workers, who were forcibly involved in its construction during World War II. As our protagonist treads upon this historic bridge, her own memories of being an immigrant in America come flooding back, unveiling both the joys and hardships of her experiences.

As perhaps the only Thai immigrant writer–composer and director duo in America, Siamese Collective—founded by Thai composer/writer Tidtaya Sinutoke and Thai director Keng S. Meateanuwat—is devoted to amplifying authentic Thai narratives and weaving Thai stories into the American theatrical landscape. Our mission is to broaden the canon by featuring underrepresented voices, challenging stereotypes, and offering nuanced, lived experiences of Thai and Thai-American identities.

Program Detail:

KHAM (Crossing)

Written by Tidtaya Sinutoke

Directed by Keng S. Meateanuwat

Featuring: Heen Sasithorn and Benjamin Lang

Bios:

Tidtaya Sinutoke is a Jonathan Larson Grant, Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award, Jerome

Hill Artist Fellowship, and Fred Ebb Award-winning theatre composer and writer. Theatre credits: DEAR MR. C (Diverse Voices Playwriting Initiative Award, Polyphone, Village Theatre’s Festival of New Musicals, LMCC Grant); HALF THE SKY (The 5th Avenue Theatre's First Draft Commission & 20/21 Digital Season); SUNWATCHER (The Civilians R&D Group); THE ADVENTURES OF SKY AND FRIENDS (New Victory Theater's LabWorks); KHAM (Dramatic Question Theatre's American Fellowship) WITH RICE (MOCA's Performing Artist-in-Residence); and LITTLE DUGONG AND HER SEAGRASS SONG (American Opera Project). Her works have been developed and supported by the Composer-Librettists Studio at New Dramatists, Yale Institute for Music Theatre, New Victory LabWorks, Johnny Mercer Foundation, NYFA IAM Mentoring Program, Robert Rauschenberg Residency, Kurt Weill Foundation, Drama League, Tofte Lake Center, Loghaven Artist Residency, MOCA, and Rhinebeck Writers Retreat. A proud member of ASCAP, Dramatists Guild, Maestra, MUSE and Thai Theatre Foundation. MFA: NYU. tidtayasinutoke.com 

Keng S. Meateanuwat is a Thai theatre director/writer/translator/storyteller based in NYC. They taught acting/directing at Bangkok University for three years. They were a resident director at Bangkok University Theatre Company, where they directed and translated numerous plays, including August: Osage County, True West, The Humans, Fool for Love, Bent, Death and the Maiden, and The Clean House. Recent directing credits include Dear Mr. C (Village Theater), What You Are To Me (NQT, HERE ARTS), Lungs (Life Studio, Bangkok), KHAM (ART/NY), Lanna Dream (The Den Chicago), The Adventure of Sky and Friends (New Victory Labworks), A Sisyphean Dream (Pan Asian Rep’s Nuwork 2023), and The Revolutionists (Heartland Theatre Company). Assistant directing credits include Transitional Love Stories (TheatreLab NYC), Sanctuary City (Seattle Rep), and Big Hunk O' Burnin' Love (Roundabout Theatre Company). 2022 National SDC Directing Fellowship Award and 2023 The John Cauble Emerging Producer/Leader Award from the Kennedy Center. 2023 The Drama League's Irene Gandy Directing Assistantship recipient. Leon Levy Foundation Roundabout Directors Group cohort 5. Keng’s adaptation, Walk to the Stars, is a semifinalist for the 2024 National Playwrights Conference at the O'Neill. 2025 The Drama League's Special Project Residency. Keng is also the Executive Director of Thai Theatre Foundation US. M.F.A. Directing: Illinois State University. www.kengsm.com 

Heen Sasithorn Sturek is an actor/director based in NYC and Thailand. She received her MFA in acting from The Actors Studio Drama School in New York. Heen has been featured in Thai commercials, television shows, theatrical productions, and feature films such as, Jan Dara, Taloompuk, The Island Funeral, The Stranded (Netflix). Recent theatre credits include A Sisyphean Dream (Pan Asian Rep),Stupid F*cking Bird (LTV Studios), Kham by Tidtaya Sinutoke and Chef May & Bam (Yangtze Repertory Theatre). Heen is proud to share the journey of Kham and invite everyone to cross the bridge with us. 

Benjamin Lang is a proud native of Queens, New York. He holds a BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and studied dance at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts. He is represented by ATN Entertainment.

About Siamese Collective:

Siamese Collective is a multidisciplinary performing arts organization committed to empowering Thai-identified artists and communities through theatre. Founded in 2023 by Thai composer/writer Tidtaya Sinutoke and Thai director Keng S. Meateanuwat, we are devoted to amplifying authentic Thai narratives and weaving Thai stories into the American theatrical landscape.

Our mission is to serve as an artistic home for Thai theatre artists—providing space, resources, and support to create, develop, and share new works that reflect the Thai experience. We aim to broaden the theatrical canon by featuring underrepresented voices, challenging stereotypes, and presenting nuanced portrayals of Thai and Thai-American identities.

Through our work, we seek to illuminate Thai history, confront contemporary issues, and inspire our communities to imagine a more equitable and empathetic world. As a cultural bridge, we are committed to fostering collaboration between Thai artists and BIPOC theatre communities in America, celebrating Thai theatrical talent, and cultivating a vibrant, sustainable audience for Thai Theatre in both Thailand and the United States.

About Thai Theatre Foundation:

Thai Theatre Foundation exists to support and strengthen contemporary Thai theatre and theatre makers, and to foster collaboration between Thai and US theatre artists. We welcome artists and audiences across lines of identity, background, and experience. Thai Theatre Foundation believes cultural representation must come with fair access to space, support, and compensation. We uplift Thai and Thai American theatre makers not only through visibility but through care, resources, and collaboration. We tell Thai and Thai American stories not just to be heard, but to open space, build relationships, and honor the people behind the work. www.thaitheatre.org