A Wake At Singh's

by Aeneas Sagar Hemphill

Inspired by true stories of the NY taxi drivers hunger strike, A WAKE AT SINGH’S leads a close-knit group of New York taxi drivers to their breaking point after losing one of their number.

Nearly a century ago, Clifford Odets’ play Waiting for Lefty wrestled with the state of American labor, inspired by a 40-day New York taxi driver strike of 1935. Today, in this moment of severe social and economic inequality...

Inspired by true stories of the NY taxi drivers hunger strike, A WAKE AT SINGH’S leads a close-knit group of New York taxi drivers to their breaking point after losing one of their number.

Nearly a century ago, Clifford Odets’ play Waiting for Lefty wrestled with the state of American labor, inspired by a 40-day New York taxi driver strike of 1935. Today, in this moment of severe social and economic inequality and revitalized labor action, its themes continue to reverberate. What has changed since that Depression-era play, and what has stayed the same? Inspired by true stories of the 2021 NY taxi drivers hunger strike, A Wake at Singh’s leads a close-knit group of New York taxi drivers to their breaking point after losing one of their number to a struggle that has plagued their community for as long as it has existed.

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A Wake At Singh's

Recommended by

  • Elliott Folds: A Wake At Singh's by Aeneas Sagar Hemphill
    “

    Music and food and solidarity swirl together in this impassioned, intelligent, beautiful play. Painfully urgent, enormously moving, and consistently surprising in the way it finds joy and warmth in the face of deep sorrow and rage. Loved it.

    Music and food and solidarity swirl together in this impassioned, intelligent, beautiful play. Painfully urgent, enormously moving, and consistently surprising in the way it finds joy and warmth in the face of deep sorrow and rage. Loved it.

    ”
  • Cheryl Bear: A Wake At Singh's by Aeneas Sagar Hemphill
    “

    A play that is relevant as ever and speaks to those who are on the front lines and some of the most unappreciated workers in our society. Can inequality ever be fixed?

    A play that is relevant as ever and speaks to those who are on the front lines and some of the most unappreciated workers in our society. Can inequality ever be fixed?

    ”
KEVIN / JAMES - Twin cabbies in their 40's. Immigrated from China by way of a few other countries. Kevin is the Little Brother, James is the Big Brother, even though they were only seconds apart.

SINGH - Sikh man in his 40's/50's. He runs the all-night Indian restaurant Singh's. His brother, a cabbie, died, leaving his nephew Shawn, who now works at the restaurant.

SHAWN - Young desi man in his late 20's/30's. A talented chef with too many interests. He works at the restaurant while sharing a cab to pay off his father's medallion debt. He's getting really into communism and not letting anyone forget it.

ANDRIC - A Polish man in his 40's/50's. Gruff, with a soft exterior. Staunchly anti-communist, but has a soft spot for Shawn.

EMMANUEL - Cabbie in his 40's from Haiti.

MO - Pakistani-American, 30's. Uber driver. Disenchanted veteran.

BAITALI - "The Boss." Bengali-American woman, 30's. Leader of the Taxi Workers Alliance.

Development History

  • Reading, The Civilians R&D Group, 2022