Moon Bear

Silver and Richie are siblings without parents. As the two grow up, they cling to one another as each other's family, and help one another navigate their positions as social outsiders - Silver as a genderqueer weirdo, and Richie as a drug dealing gangbanger. In a parallel world, Bear is ousted from his tribe and through a gesture of filial piety, is turned by Hwanung, a gay Korean god, into a human woman....
Silver and Richie are siblings without parents. As the two grow up, they cling to one another as each other's family, and help one another navigate their positions as social outsiders - Silver as a genderqueer weirdo, and Richie as a drug dealing gangbanger. In a parallel world, Bear is ousted from his tribe and through a gesture of filial piety, is turned by Hwanung, a gay Korean god, into a human woman. S/he is then coerced into being Hwanung's pregnant beard, and has Hwanung's child. As family bonds begin to disintegrate, and the god-world begins to crumble, Silver and Bear must redefine home for themselves, to find power through the magic of stories.
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Moon Bear

Recommended by

  • Christopher Gould:
    8 Feb. 2024
    a wonderful blending of two siblings’ coming-of-age with Korean folk characters. As always: some adventurous producer should take this play on!
  • Enid Brain:
    26 May. 2021
    Yasss to seeing nonbinary representation in a play that isn't fully about their gender identity and trauma with it! Also a really sweet and lived-in sibling relationship that warmed my heart
  • Nick Malakhow:
    26 Jan. 2021
    Beautiful, beautiful piece! I loved tracking the simultaneous theatrical worlds of Silver/Richie/Dad and Bear. The moment they met was was so powerful, poignant, and such a perfect bookend to the piece. Nina Ki combines a wry sense of humorous, fabulistic/fantastical tropes and devices, and an incredibly moving human heart in Silver to create this transcendent piece. The exploration of gender, family, sense of self, and being an outsider in one's immediate sphere is complex and uniquely presented. I sincerely hope I get to see "Moon Bear" onstage in the future!

Character Information

  • TIGER
    20s-30s,
    Any (but probably BIPOC)
    ,
    AFAB or transfem
    Tiger is a tiger. Surprise!
  • SILVER/HYO-SONN
    20s,
    korean / korean american, Korean
    ,
    AFAB nonbinary
    Silver ages in the play, from child to adult.
  • RICHIE
    20s,
    Korean/Korean American
    ,
    AMAB (relevant to the plot)
    Richie ages in the play, from child to young adult.
  • MOON
    any age,
    Any (but probably BIPOC)
    ,
    Any gender
    Moon is the moon. Surprise!
  • HWANUNG
    20s-30s,
    Asian American/Korean American
    ,
    AMAB (relevant to the plot)
    Hwanung is a closeted gay Korean god. Please find a queer actor for this role.
  • FATHER
    40s-50s,
    Korean
    ,
    AMAB (relevant to the plot)
  • BEAR
    20s-40s,
    Any Race/Ethnicity, Asian American/Korean American
    ,
    Almost any gender, Non-binary/genderfluid, Genderfluid
    Bear is a bear. Surprise!

Development History

  • Workshop
    ,
    Stay True Theatre
    ,
    2021
  • Reading
    ,
    Brave New World Rep's Brave New Works
    ,
    2020
  • Reading
    ,
    Brave New World Repertory Theatre
    ,
    2019
  • Reading
    ,
    HBMG Foundation
    ,
    2018
  • Workshop
    ,
    Jason Fong's Writer's Workshop Series
    ,
    2015

Awards

Finalist
,
Writing Fellowship
,
The Playwright's Realm
,
2021
Honorable Mention
,
Relentless Award
,
American Playwrighting Federation
,
2018