Stories in Mother Tongues

Paati, the 79 year old matriarch of the family, spends her days waiting to die. The only bright spot left in her life is a one-woman show she puts on every night to an increasingly aging American theatre audience. But when her granddaughter, son, and daughter-in-law are corrupted by their inner demons and threaten to destroy her play, Paati has to team up with an unlikely ally: her aimless and existentially...

Paati, the 79 year old matriarch of the family, spends her days waiting to die. The only bright spot left in her life is a one-woman show she puts on every night to an increasingly aging American theatre audience. But when her granddaughter, son, and daughter-in-law are corrupted by their inner demons and threaten to destroy her play, Paati has to team up with an unlikely ally: her aimless and existentially tortured American grandson, Giri. Will Giri and Paati defeat the demons and keep the play running? Or will the show just… end? A metatheatrical action adventure about tradition, expectation, and learning to speak in your mother tongue.

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Stories in Mother Tongues

Recommended by

  • Playwrights Foundation: Stories in Mother Tongues

    The Playwrights Foundation Bay Area literary council readers advanced Stories in Mother Tongues as a finalist for the 47th Bay Area Playwrights Festival.

    This script delves into the intergenerational dramas of a South Asian family with a mischievous, meta-theatrical sense of humor. Our readers were particularly drawn to Paati; one of the most magnetic characters that we encountered in our review process.

    We hope this play finds dedicated collaborators in its journey towards production.

    The Playwrights Foundation Bay Area literary council readers advanced Stories in Mother Tongues as a finalist for the 47th Bay Area Playwrights Festival.

    This script delves into the intergenerational dramas of a South Asian family with a mischievous, meta-theatrical sense of humor. Our readers were particularly drawn to Paati; one of the most magnetic characters that we encountered in our review process.

    We hope this play finds dedicated collaborators in its journey towards production.

Character Information

  • Patti
    Appa’s mother and omniscient storyteller of the universe. Speaks Tamil. Cannot speak English and only roughly understands it, until she can.
    Character Age
    79
  • Giri
    Aimless, which means he’s an aspiring DJ. Cannot speak Tamil and only roughly understands it.
    Character Age
    29
  • Gita
    Sick and tired of this shit. Also a rakshasi.
    Character Age
    32
  • Amma
    Immigrant mother who needs a vacation. Also a rakshasi.
    Character Age
    50s
  • Appa
    Immigrant father who can’t say how he feels. Also a raskshasa.
    Character Age
    50s

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Ojai Playwrights Conference, Year 2025