Endlings by Celine Song

On the island of Man-Jae in Korea, three elderly women spend their dying days diving into the ocean to harvest seafood with nothing but a rusty knife. They are “haenyeos”— “sea women” —and there are no heiresses to their millennium-old tradition. ENDLINGS is a real estate lesson from the last three remaining “haenyeos” in the world: don’t live on an island. Unless it’s the island of Manhattan…
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Endlings

Recommended by

  • Nina Ki:
    23 Sep. 2022
    “ I love that Celine Song brought the rich tradition and culture of haenyeos onstage, along with the very identifiable struggle of being a Korean playwright (real estate!!) within the white institution of theatre. Richly poetic, comedic, and heartbreaking - absolutely love this play! ”
  • Keiko Green:
    27 Jul. 2021
    “ Stunning and unexpected. This is one of the most fascinating plays I've read recently. I really loved Act 1 -- visually and rhythmically, but moving into Act 2 and coming face-to-face with how we use/exploit/shape our cultures to get attention from white institutions was something that deeply resonated with me. ”
  • Gina Femia:
    22 Dec. 2020
    “ This is one of my favorite plays of all time. Everything about it is perfect. It's funny, heartbreaking, and critiques theater in a highly theatrical and brilliant way. I'd watch this play everyday if I could. ”
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Development History

  • Residency
    ,
    The Public Theater
    ,
    2017
  • Residency
    ,
    Playwrights Realm
    ,
    2017
  • Residency
    ,
    MacDowell Colony
    ,
    2016

Production History

  • Professional
    ,
    New York Theatre Workshop
    ,
    2020
  • Professional
    ,
    American Repertory Theater
    ,
    2019