Inside The Prom With Tyson Insixiengmai

In the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre production of The Prom, local performer, creator, and artist Tyson Insixiengmai joins the cast as one of the Ensemble. We chatted with them to find out how they became a part of this production.

“What’s so special about this production and performing in it is,” said Insixiengmai, “I believe it’s the audiences that have been coming in so far. It has attracted so many folks who are touched by this story, and I think it’s so phenomenal to be able to perform it in Chanhassen.”

“Every night my hope is that the story that I get to present on stage is touched by people who can also see themselves perform in an incredible story like this,” said Insixiengmai. “As an Asian American and a queer person myself, I just hope that this also touches those folks who aren’t able to see that in themselves. But to see someone like me on stage, they can see that they’re also possible of doing that.”

As an artist and performer, Insixiengmai is finding their groove on the Chanhassen stage. “This is actually my second ever professional production that I’ve done on stage,” said Insixiengmai. “This would be my second ever kind of theater experience that I’ve done before. What’s different is that I am able to give it all on stage. And with that being said, I hope that it transfers out into the audience because I view performance in music and acting in art as a language and it’s spoken universally, and I just hope that it translates with a lot of people.”

We also asked Insixiengmai if they were cast in any role in The Prom, what role what they play? “I understudy Kevin,” Insixiengmai answered, “he is in the teen ensemble, but if it were to be anyone, I think it would be Alyssa Green. I deeply resonate with her character and how her story is transformed from the beginning to the end of the musical. She is brought up with her mother, Mrs. Green, and she just has to be perfect in her song. She is just everything that she needs to be for her mother, but at the end of the day, she just wants to be herself. And she gets that love and support from Emma and just wants to show her that she is there and that she is able to be who she is. And so I think Alyssa would be a great character to be.”

The Prom is currently playing at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre through June 10. To get your tickets, log on to www.chanhassendt.com

Don’t forget to bring your friends for a great and uplifting time with us in Chanhassen!