A Driving Beat

by Jordan Ramirez Puckett

2,000 miles, a cross-country car ride
adopted son and mother travel side by side
white woman, brown son in the same space
9 states to the hospital, the teen’s birthplace
4 days, if all goes according to plan
5 nights, of doing all that they can
to find his birth mom, identity, or home
but by the end of their journey
will any answers be known?

2,000 miles, a cross-country car ride
adopted son and mother travel side by side
white woman, brown son in the same space
9 states to the hospital, the teen’s birthplace
4 days, if all goes according to plan
5 nights, of doing all that they can
to find his birth mom, identity, or home
but by the end of their journey
will any answers be known?

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A Driving Beat

Recommended by

  • Shelby Seeley: A Driving Beat by Jordan Ramirez Puckett
    “

    heartfelt mother-son relationship that asks questions about identity, race, and family with an ending I didn't see coming!

    heartfelt mother-son relationship that asks questions about identity, race, and family with an ending I didn't see coming!

    ”
  • Katherine Gwynn: A Driving Beat by Jordan Ramirez Puckett
    “

    a tender play about a mother and son at odds with trying to both discover and cling to their past--warm until the very end, despite it all.

    a tender play about a mother and son at odds with trying to both discover and cling to their past--warm until the very end, despite it all.

    ”
  • Cheryl Bear: A Driving Beat by Jordan Ramirez Puckett
    “

    A beautiful, heartfelt journey of the search for identity and the relationship of a mother to her son that moves you. Well done.

    A beautiful, heartfelt journey of the search for identity and the relationship of a mother to her son that moves you. Well done.

    ”
View all 14 recommendations

Character Information

  • Mateo
    Brown skin, on the verge of fifteen, a yearning son, speaks his truth in rhymes
    14
    Asian -- Filipino
    Cis male,
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • Diane
    White skin, forty-five, a protective mother, a verbal steamroller
    45
    White
    Cis female,
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Reina
    Brown skin, thirty-two, a healer, listens more than she speaks
    32
    Latino
    Cis female,
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman

Development History

  • Reading, The Los Angeles Queer New Works Festival (canceled due to Corona Virus), 2020
  • Reading, Athena Project, 2019
  • Residency, HBMG Foundation, 2018

Awards