James & Eddie

by M.J. Kang

In the 1980s, two Korean families recovering from the after-effects of the Korean War meet and support each other in Toronto, Canada. They try to make a new life in a country that's not welcoming—told via the youngest daughter's memory. Friendship ties them together but can't stop destructive forces and violence that permeate their world while the children seek joy and connection to the world they left behind....

In the 1980s, two Korean families recovering from the after-effects of the Korean War meet and support each other in Toronto, Canada. They try to make a new life in a country that's not welcoming—told via the youngest daughter's memory. Friendship ties them together but can't stop destructive forces and violence that permeate their world while the children seek joy and connection to the world they left behind.

Written for 3 Asian females in their 20s-50s. (They play multiple parts.)

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James & Eddie

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  • Playwrights Foundation: James & Eddie by M.J. Kang
    “

    The Playwrights Foundation Bay Area literary council readers advanced James & Eddie as a finalist for the 47th Bay Area Playwrights Festival.

    This script is a dreamy, poetic exploration of trauma and intergenerational memory. Our readers especially leaned in to the mother/daughter dynamics in this script, which we found to be vivid and compelling.

    We hope this play is considered for further development and investigation, and finds dedicated collaborators in its journey towards production.

    The Playwrights Foundation Bay Area literary council readers advanced James & Eddie as a finalist for the 47th Bay Area Playwrights Festival.

    This script is a dreamy, poetic exploration of trauma and intergenerational memory. Our readers especially leaned in to the mother/daughter dynamics in this script, which we found to be vivid and compelling.

    We hope this play is considered for further development and investigation, and finds dedicated collaborators in its journey towards production.

    ”
Actor 1. Eun-Kyung 은경(youngest daughter 막내딸) Inquisitive - trying to come to terms with the deaths of her childhood friends. She knows she can't trust her mother and maybe not her oldest sister, Cah. Her mother keeps her close. She hopes to move back to Korea as an adult.
Actor 2. Cah (oldest sister 큰언니) - bossy, needs to let her sisters know how she's the favorite, but trying her best. She has been given responsibilities she cannot handle, so sometimes, she must walk away.
- she also plays:
엄마 (Umma) - controlling, damaged, sensitive
James - would like to be a poet, practical, prone to anger
James & Eddie's Father - complex
John - righteous
Actor 3. Twerlch (middle sister 둘째언니) - wants to mediate but knows her oldest sister doesn't like her. She has information she needs to share, but she also holds on to information for a purpose.
- she also plays:
James & Eddie's Mother - kind, gentle, considerate
Eddie - playful, positive
Luke - younger brother to John - likes playing video game


Development History

  • Residency, The Road Theater's Under Construction 4 - Virtual Co-hort, 2023