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A Driving Beat by Jordan Ramirez Puckett

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Recommendations

  • Jean Egdorf:
    28 Sep. 2018
    “ There is so much to love about this play: an honest and complicated yet deeply compassionate story about an adopted son and his mother; a masterful use of a natural parent-child vernacular and Mateo's own poetic beat woven throughout the text; and a cross-country road trip that brings the audience both into the awkward confines of a car with your parent and out into a greater world that transcends the one we understand as lines on a map. Themes of identity, culture, how to move forward, family, and love make this play deeply personal and unequivocally universal. ”
  • Rachel Bublitz:
    4 Sep. 2018
    “ A beautiful play about identity, finding yourself, and loss. The layers of this mother and son relationship as they drive across the county are so deep and at times heart breaking. I was also drawn in by the theatricality throughout, the empty spaces that become the locations in the play through the characters, the doubling of roles tied through the whole piece, and the lack of "things" all worked really well together. It's a play that jumped to its feet just from reading it off the page and something I'd love to see produced. Well done! ”
  • Olivia Matthews:
    3 Sep. 2018
    “ This play gorgeously navigates a relationship between a mother and her teenaged son. Stuck in the car for a cross-country road trip, Mateo and Diane's interactions are, at times, contentious and bumpy, but they are smoothed over by Jordan's ability to graciously explore the identities, politics, and longings of two characters who seem worlds apart in the same car. ”
  • Skye Robinson Hillis:
    29 Jun. 2018
    “ A lovely play about the complicated, nuanced relationship between a mother and her adopted son, one which employs the road trip device better than any I've ever read. The characters are well-drawn and the occasional elements of magical realism (through the character of Reina) work well. Very much worth a read. ”
  • Amy Elizabeth Schweid:
    14 May. 2018
    “ A funny and poignant look into identity, and family. From the first moment reading the character descriptions, I was hooked. Poetic, and lovely, I highly recommend this piece. ”
  • Nan Barnett:
    4 Feb. 2018
    “ A gorgeous story of love and dedication, writ large on a mom and her adopted son, who she has done her best to raise in a warm, supportive, inclusive environment with plenty of room for his cultural heritage. When his need to know more leads them on a road trip to the beginning its anyone's guess where they'll end up. It's a lyrical, light-filled look at best intentions and the best kind of parenting, the kind that encourages exploration, allows for surprises, and embraces the whims of the world. ”
  • Jelisa Jay Robinson:
    4 Feb. 2018
    “ I loved the story and the relationship between a mother and her son. It was beautiful. The dialogue was solid and the story left me wanting more after it was over. I know this story will find its way to stages across the country. ”
  • Tracy Held:
    3 Feb. 2018
    “ I had an opportunity to hear Jordan's play "A Driving Beat" at the HBMG Foundation's National Winter Playwrights Retreat, and I was impressed with her willingness to take on a story with such complex and nuanced social themes. The relationship between the mom and her adopted son is intimate and touching, and this family's journey is fraught with questions about identity for themselves, to each other, and as members of a larger society that views them in a certain way. I'm excited to see this piece grow and make its way to the stage. ”

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