THE STORY: Loosely based on Hedda Gabler, THE WIND CRIES MARY is set on a college campus in the late '60s. Amidst the turbulent anti-war demonstrations and beginnings of Asian-American identity politics, we follow an extraordinary young woman, Eiko Hanabi, through the course of several days’ events which in the end will alter her life forever. Eiko finds herself caught between life choices made during a different political and racial climate, and a newer emergent model that promises more freedom and choice. Eiko is a woman caught on the cusp of a world changing from Oriental to Asian American.
Philip Kan Gotanda is the winner of the 2020 Legacy Playwrights Initiative Award.
“…one of San Francisco’s leading playwrights…What’s amazing about Gotanda’s attempt to graft '60s and Asian-American themes onto Ibsen’s classic is how well it works…[with an] intriguing dramatic resonance all its own.” —San Francisco Chronicle.
“…[Gotanda] has successfully turned the drama into an opulently layered engaging piece about Asian-American and gender politics…And in Gotanda’s able hands, the character of Hedda, one of the most coveted theatrical roles written for a woman, proves resilient.” —Mercury News.
“…Gotanda has tapped into the universal appeal of Ibsen’s story…[He] sees that Hedda’s situation can be applied to anyone marginalized by his or her surrounding culture…” —Oakland Tribune.
“…tense and dark…intellectually sophisticated…the ending does leave one breathlessly thoughtful.” —Spartan Daily.
