Visiting playwright and Drama Prof. Stan Lai’s work is back on the Stanford stage.

After making headlines with the English-language premier of “Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land” at the University this winter, Lai’s “Sand on a Distant Star” will make its English-language debut tonight in a performance organized by the Asian American Theater Project (AATP).

“It’s a comedy,” said Linda Serrato ‘07, the play’s director, “but it deals with ideas of loneliness, abandonment and hope.”

Lai is an award-winning playwright and director from Taiwan.

“‘Sand’ [deals] with hopes, fears and illusions that are very universal,” Lai said in an email to The Daily.

According to “Sand on a Distant Star” producer Violetta Taing ‘08, AATP’s mission has changed in recent years.

“The original mission [was] to encourage Asian-American talent in the arts and to portray Asian-Americans in non-typical roles,” she said. “Our mission this year has really just been to encourage people to become involved in theatre. As a small group I think we’re a little less intimidating [to] maybe someone who’s never acted before.”

Taing said this change is reflected in the project’s decision to perform “Sand on a Distant Star.”

“Instead of having specific cultural themes, it’s appealing to everybody,” she said. “We thought it’d be good because we’d be able to [have] a diverse cast, rather than a totally Asian cast.”

“Sand on a Distant Star” will run in Kresge Auditorium starting today and continue through Sunday. From today through Saturday, the play will begin at 8 p.m. On Sunday, the production will be at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets can be preordered by emailing tickets@sandonadistantstar.com. They will also be available at the door.