VCU news

By Sarah Moore
VCUarts Theatre

VCUarts Theatre presents “Anon(ymous)” by Naomi Iizuka on Feb. 22-25 at the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, 922 Park Ave.

Directed by guest artist Chelsea Burke, “Anon(ymous)” tells the story of Anon, a young refugee from a faraway land, who travels across the United States searching for some semblance of home and memories of the mother from whom he was separated long ago. Anon’s experiences are both brutal — such as encounters with a terrifying one-eyed butcher and an unnerving and alluring bartender — and beautiful, including unexpected friendship and the comfort of supernatural aid.

A powerful modern take on Homer’s “Odyssey,” “Anon(ymous)” explores the enduring themes of identity, coming of age and the shifting nature of home in the face of displacement.

“Anon(ymous)” is never overtly political, but it is poignant in how it poetically captures the sense of the loss of home. The play can be seen as both timeless and timely — the most recent U.N. Refugee Agency Global Trends report shows that more than 100 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced from their homes due to persecution, conflict and violence as 2023 began. Iizuka called the work “universal and transferable, regardless of the political climate,” in a 2014 DC Theater Arts piece, and the Japanese-born American playwright described “Anon(ymous)” as the perennial story of refugees and immigrants present, past and future. Audiences can expect an entrancing story, captivating design elements and a dose of radical empathy.

Tickets are $15, with discounts available for students and the VCU community. VCUarts Theatre alumni can book two complimentary tickets to any performance in advance. All tickets are general admission.

The VCUarts Theatre box office is now cashless. Tickets can be purchased online or in person with a credit/debit card. The box office opens on site one hour before performances, and seating typically opens 30 minutes before performances. For more information on tickets, visit bit.ly/vcutheatre or contact theatretix@vcu.edu or 804-828-6026.

“Anon(ymous)” has an expected runtime of approximately 90 minutes and contains violence, gore, war sounds/topics, trauma, loud noises, haze, bright lights, threat of sexual coercion, human trafficking and racism.

To stay up to date on the production, please visit arts.vcu.edu/theatre and follow social media for

behind-the-scenes content at instagram.com/vcuarts_theatre.