- “The Mother of Exiles” refers to the Statue of Liberty, and how it is a symbol of refuge for immigrants coming to the United States
- play with interesting premise - a multigenerational story where descendants of the Loi family can summon the spirits of their ancestors and speak to them - destiny and other-worldly intervention
- Act 1: Eddie Loi is being deported to Guangzhou. She births her daughter in a prison cell and leaves her with a friend, fearing her child would not survive the boat trip. She had tended to plum trees, and gives her daughter a necklace with a seed. Eddie demands that the daughter keeps the name she gave her.
- Act 2: Braulio, Eddie’s grandson, works as a border patrol guard. He catches an illegal immigrant from Cuba, Claudia, and grapples with the moral dilemma of whether to turn her in or not
- Act 3: Braulio’s daughter, granddaughter, and great grandchild are aboard a self-made raft as they flee Miami, which has been flooded during the climate crisis. They encounter a ship that will only take the child. The plum seed has started to sprout. They give away the child and the seed to the boat. They ask that the child keeps their name.
- time leap structure, with parallels across generations, reminded me vaguely of The Last Question - Isaac Asimov
- about:
- sacrifice
- refugees, striving for a better future
- the preservation/continuation of life, of a family
- the power of names, cultural identity
- breaking rules in the name of being human
- the mothers usually ended up giving up their children in hopes of granting them a better life
other
- saw at a very intimate theater where the audience sat in a circle around the stage
- i liked it. very close to the actors. the story presented at a different perspective to each audience member.