By Andrew Hamlin
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
A narrative that moves amongst interlaced stories, spanning 165 years, and shuttling long distances around the globe sounds intimidating. But actor Karis Ho, a star in the new play, “Mother of Exiles” by Jessica Huang, keeps focused on her character, and pinning down her corner of the larger picture.
Sebastián Bravo Montenegro (Photo credit: Alex Banh)
“‘Mother of Exiles’ explores themes of family, love, and the immigrant struggle across three time periods, in a way that is honest, hilarious, and heart wrenching at the same time,” said Ho about the play, directed by Ren Langer and Sebastián Bravo Montenegro, coming to the Glenn Hughes Playhouse in late April.
As a pregnant immigrant held on San Francisco’s Angel Island, Ho’s character, a woman called Eddie Loi, faces “brutal circumstances, but she holds her head high and fiercely fights to protect her family.”
The play alternates between three settings, each with its own timeline: Eddie’s struggle against deportation at the Angel Island Immigration Station in 1898; Eddie’s grandson, Braulio Loi, working border patrol in 1998; and Braulio’s own descendants in 2063, struggling in mid-ocean to survive the cataclysmic effects of climate change.
“Exiles” forms part of this year’s Producing Artists Laboratory series through the University of Washington’s School of Drama, designed as a program to push boundaries and explore new territories of drama. The series unites directors Langer and Bravo Montenegro, both first-year MFA (Master of Fine Arts) students, with a cast consisting mostly of second-year MFA actors.
Photo credit: Alex Banh
Ho herself is a graduate of the School of Drama, but stayed on long enough to work on this new production. “I see so much of my grandma’s love and tenacity in Eddie,” she commented.
“My family emigrated from Hong Kong, but I was raised here in Washington. My grandma was a powerhouse of a woman. When she was younger, she ran away to Hong Kong during the revolution to pursue her dreams of being a Chinese opera singer. She worked her way against gender norms to become a manager in a factory, and provide for her family. Much later, when she immigrated to Canada, she refused to let anyone mistreat her because of her differences. Once someone tried to steal her apartment curtains and she followed them, yelling ‘Police!’ in broken English until they returned them.
“My grandma passed away when I was younger, so I never got to see her perform, but knowing I have her boldness in my blood empowers me as an emerging artist now. It is healing to perform in a show that highlights the language and stories of my culture.”
Jerik Fernandez (Photo credit: Alex Banh)
Ho ended up the only one playing a single role in the production. She’s joined by Jerik Fernandez, as Braulio, and Modesto Loi, John Austin, Adriana Gonzales, Marena Kleinpeter, Betzabeth Gonzalez, Minki Bai, Joo Kim, Mikey Flores, and Yeonshin Kim.
A joint statement, from directors Langer and Bravo Montenegro, states how they took one line of dialogue as their inspiration throughout: “Your purpose is to be a bridge, not a border.”
They took that line as a central vision, a challenge to create spaces where art and life itself can flourish. They also interpreted “borders” as barriers, limitations to thinking and believing, which must be surmounted.
Braulio Loi, for example, begins his portion of the narrative, believing he understands the underlying structure of the world, and his place within it. As he confronts his grandmother’s story, alongside his own unfolding saga, he’ll have to reconsider his views, and reposition himself in the universe.
In an era of rapidly-escalating hostility toward immigrants, especially in the U.S., “Mother of Exiles” invites the audience to remember immigrants as people, as partners in society, and as bearers of history.
As Ho summed it up, “I hope the stories we tell in this show can honor the strength and selfless love of immigrants in America, past, present, and future.”
“Mother of Exiles” plays April 22-26 at the Glenn Hughes Penthouse Theatre, located at 1803 North East 45th Street in Seattle.
For prices, showtimes, and other information, visit https://drama.washington.edu/events/2025-04-22/mother-exiles.