Two strangers, One heart
December 13, 2024
Two Strangers, One Heart
It’s Thanksgiving Day, and Luna has just returned from the supermarket, where she meticulously crafted a shopping list and planned every detail of her meals. But rather than sticking to her list, she impulsively buys a turkey and invites a stranger, Jane, to share the holiday with her.
Neither woman realizes that this spontaneous invitation will soon evolve into an exploration of identity, belonging, and what it truly means to feel at home.
Set in 1973, The Heart Sellers follows two young immigrant women in America: Jane, who is Korean, and Luna, who is Filipino. Both are married to ambitious doctors in demanding residency programs. As they bond over a bottle of wine while preparing a traditional Thanksgiving meal, they navigate the complexities of their isolated lives.
“These two women find safe spaces within each other and begin to challenge the norms of their lives,” says Michelle Heera Kim, who plays Jane in her FST debut. “This play is about loneliness, displacement, and the desperate desire to be seen and understood—truly understood. It’s about finding connection in unexpected places.”
Luna and Jane must confront the isolation often accompanying being immigrant wives in America.
“Young women are indeed passionate and curious about what life has to offer,” shares Rona Figueroa, who also makes her FST debut in the play playing Luna. “They see the limitations imposed on them and push against those boundaries with boldness and eagerness to define their paths.”
As their conversations transition from lighthearted banter to moments of vulnerability, they envision the possibility of creating something new—a different kind of family rooted not in blood or tradition but in shared experiences and emotional understanding. The humor in the play emerges from their quirks, awkward moments, and efforts to navigate a world that often feels foreign and unwelcoming, capturing Thanksgiving’s mix of joy, stress, expectations, and deeply personal emotions.
“What stands out to me most about The Heart Sellers is its deep humor and warmth,” said FST’s Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins. “This play is a perfect reminder of our shared roots and, more importantly, highlights the beauty and universality of Asian culture.”
Playwright Lloyd Suh was inspired to write The Heart Sellers by his mother’s experience as an immigrant. “It was written during conversations around immigration policy and how they affect real people in real-time,” Suh stated. He delves into the sacrifices made by women who leave their homes behind for a better future in a foreign land.
“These are women who are often seen as lacking ‘agency’ in their own lives, yet they possess full, human hearts—hearts filled with humor, yearning, and dreams that may never be fully realized or expressed in the world around them.” said show director Kate Alexander. “The play asks a crucial question: What is the price one pays for leaving one’s homeland? We often don’t stop to think about the cost of dreams when we focus on the idea of America—the land of opportunity.”
In a time when identity and belonging are more pressing than ever, The Heart Sellers offers a poignant, funny, and hopeful exploration of friendship, resilience, and the transformative power of connection. As Luna and Jane prepare their Thanksgiving meal, they create a new tradition and forge a bond that transcends their differences, where home is not just a place—it’s the people who make us feel seen, heard, and understood.