Aubergine Written by JULIA CHO Directed by Flordelino Lagundino Study Guide
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HISTORICAL CONTEXT ON STAGE AT PARK SQUARE THEATRE Oct 8-15, 2019 Cover Art: Richard Fleischman Aubergine Written by JULIA CHO Directed by Flordelino Lagundino Study Guide www.parksquaretheatre.org | page 1 HISTORICAL CONTEXT Aubergine Contributors Park Square Theatre Park Square Theatre Study Guide Staff Teacher Advisory Board EDITOR Marcia Aubineau Tanya Sponholz*, Prescott High School University of St. Thomas, retired COPY EDITOR Ben Carpenter Marcia Aubineau* MPLS Substitute Teacher Liz Erickson CONTRIBUTORS Rosemount High School, retired Tanya Sponholz*, Maggie Quam*, Theodore Fabel Alexandra Howes*, Ben Carpenter* South High School Amy Hewett-Olatunde COVER DESIGN AND LAYOUT Humboldt High School Connor M McEvoy (Education Sales and Cheryl Hornstein Services Manager) Freelance Theatre and Music Educator Alexandra Howes * Past or Present Member of the Park Square Theatre Teacher Advisory Board Twin Cities Academy Heather Klug Park Center High School Kristin Nelson Brooklyn Center High School Jennifer Parker Falcon Ridge Middle School Maggie Quam Contact Us Hmong College Prep Academy Kate Schilling PARK SQUARE THEATRE Mound Westonka High School 408 Saint Peter Street, Suite 110 Jack Schlukebier Saint Paul, MN 55102 Central High School, retired Education Sales: Connor M McEvoy EDUCATION: 651.291.9196 Sara Stein [email protected] Eden Prairie High School Tanya Sponholz Prescott High School If you have any questions or comments about Jill Tammen this guide or Park Square Theatre’s Education Hudson High School, retired Program, please contact Craig Zimanske Mary Finnerty, Director of Education Forest Lake Area High School PHONE 651.767.8494 EMAIL [email protected] www.parksquaretheatre.org | page 2 StudyHISTORICAL CONTEXTGuide Aubergine Study Guide Contents The Play Meet the Characters ......................................................................................................... 4 Summary of Aubergine ..................................................................................................... 5 Resources Korean Immigration and Culture in the United States ....................................................... 6 Language Loss Through Immigration ................................................................................ 8 Impact of Food on Memory ............................................................................................. 10 Activities Tossing Lines: A Pre-Play Class Activity ........................................................................... 12 Scenes to Read Aloud ...................................................................................................... 15 Write your Name in Korean ............................................................................................ 20 Post-Show Discussion Questions .................................................................................... 22 www.parksquaretheatre.org | page 3 HISTORICAL CONTEXT Meet the Characters Diane: A woman who opens and closes the play by telling stories of her experiences with food. Her favorite meal is a hot pastrami sandwich with butter. Shanan Custer (Diane) Ray: A Korean American and a chef who comes to terms with his father’s mortality. His favorite meal is a cold bucket of fried chicken. Kurt Kwan (Ray) Father: Ray’s father and a Korean immigrant who has spent the majority of his life in the United States. He is dying of cirrhosis of the liver. His favorite meals were unplanned, outdoors, and spent with friends. Glenn Kubota (Father) Lucien: A hospice worker responsible for the care of Ray’s dying father. He is a former refugee and a naturalized American citizen. His favorite meal is the okra he first grew in the U.S. Darrick Mosley (Lucien) Cornelia: Ray’s girlfriend who emigrated to the U.S. from Korea as a child and, as a result, speaks Korean. Her favorite meal is mulberries. Sun Mee Chomet (Cornelia) Uncle: The brother of Ray’s father who has lived in Korea his entire life and has come to the United States to say goodbye to his brother. His favorite meal is a soup his mother made before his brother left for the U.S. Song Kim (Uncle) By Ben Carpenter MPLS Substitute Teacher www.parksquaretheatre.org | page 4 HISTORICAL CONTEXT Summary of the Play In the opening monologue, Diane speaks at length about the presence of food and the people in her life. One such memory involves Diane returning home to spend time with her father before he dies. She remi- nisces about sharing hot pastrami sandwiches with him as a child. The play then shifts from one dying father to another. Ray talks to Lucien, a hospice worker and former refugee, about how it might be time for his father, who is suffering from liver failure, to leave the hospital and return home. Once there, Lucien speaks about how he has seen people deal with death. Ray reaches out to Cornelia, his girlfriend, and asks her to help him deal with his father’s inevitable pass- ing. Because Cornelia knows Korean, Ray asks her to call his father’s brother who lives in Korea and does not speak English. A couple of days later, Ray sits by his father’s bed and reads to him from the Bible. Ray’s uncle shows up in the middle of the night, having gotten on a plane immediately after the phone call. In a monologue to the audience, Cornelia reflects on her parents, her relationship with food, and how she fell in love with Ray. Ray sits by his father’s side, lamenting that his father didn’t understand or appreciate his chosen profes- sion. His father dies, and, in a flashback, mentions the meals he had in the army as a young man. As Ray prepares for the funeral, Lucien comforts him. Ray gives his father’s eulogy, and his uncle returns to Ko- rea. Ray talks about the best meal he ever had: a bucket of chicken with his mom and dad. Diane visits Ray’s restaurant where he cooks her a hot pastrami sandwich; it is the food she needs. By Ben Carpenter MPLS Substitute Teacher www.parksquaretheatre.org | page 5 HISTORICAL CONTEXT Korean Immigration and Culture in The United States Korean Americans can trace their history to the early 20th century when the first wave of immigrants ar- rived to work on sugar plantations in Hawaii, and while Hawaii was not yet a state, this connection cannot be ignored. The next wave of immigrants came to the U.S. mainland as war brides, students, business- men, and political leaders. A third wave of Koreans were the children of U.S. servicemen and Korean women born during and after the U.S. involvement in the Korean War (1950-1953). The largest wave of Korean Immigration took place after the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 which abolished quotas for Asian immigrants to the United States. After this, Koreans became the second largest Asian immigrant group, after Filipinos, to arrive in the United States. According to the 2010 census, Korean immigrants re- main a significant presence in the U.S. with a population of 1.7 million. Minnesota has long been home to both Korean immigrants and adoptees. After the Korean Armistice Agreement of 1953, transnational adoption was promoted as a way to help children orphaned by the Ko- rean War. The Children’s Home Society of Minnesota (CHS) was the first to promote adoption in 1955. Since then, Minnesota has had one of the highest numbers of Korean adoptees in the US. According to the 2000 census records, the number of Korean immigrants in Minnesota is approximately 12,500 and the number of Korean adoptees is estimated at 15,000. Minnesota is also home to organizations like the Ko- rean Institute of Minnesota (KIM) which was founded in 1975 and is “one of the oldest Korean education- al organizations in the nation.” Korean culture camps and adoptee-led organizations such as AKConnec- tion have also been an important part of Korean Culture in Minnesota. Dora Kim Moon and her family. The first Korean immigrants to the U.S. Photo by Distinctive Women in Hawai’ian history. CONTINUED... www.parksquaretheatre.org | page 6 UNDERSTANDING CULTURE The Korean community of Minnesota has long been involved in cultural and artistic endeavors. Theatre Mu, a leader in Asian American theater, tackles topics of interest to the Korean American community. Minnesota resident and Immigrant Ed Bok Lee is an award-winning Korean American poet and playwright. Sun Yung Shin, a poet living in Minneapolis, has written extensively about transracial adoption. Born in Seoul, South Korea and adopted by a white couple, she has become a voice for other transracial adoptees seeking under- standing of their lives. Also, groups such as the Jang-mi Korean Dance and Drum group exist to help adopt- ees learn about and understand their culture. In addition to contributions to local the Arts scene, Korean Americans have contributed in many areas of Minnesota life. One such notable Twin Cities Korean American leader is Ann Kim, an award-winning chef and extremely successful business owner of three top-notch restaurants: Young Joni, Pizzeria Lola, and Hello Pizza. Also, one of St. Paul’s most high-profile government leaders, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi, emi- grated with his family from Korea to St. Paul in 1973. Serving as the Ramsey County Attorney since 2011, Choi is the first Korean American to serve as a county attorney in the United States and has led successful prosecutions of human trafficking and important initiatives in criminal justice reform. With current pop culture interest in Korea, Korean pop music has hit the U.S. music scene through the online presence of YouTube. The popular