Half of Chopsticks by Stephanie Kyung Sun Walters

Emmy Young’s dad was the King of Koreatown until the day he was swallowed by a hole. It’s not just the ghost of her dad that cracks the plaster off the walls of Young’s Chopsticks - Traditional Korean Take Out and Delivery. When Emmy’s half-secret, half-white, half-brother shows up with half the deed to her dead dad’s restaurant, everything Emmy knew about her home begins to crumble.
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Half of Chopsticks

Recommended by

  • Premiere Stages:
    7 Apr. 2022
    “ Premiere Stages, the professional Equity theatre in residence at Kean University, is pleased to recognize HALF OF CHOPSTICKS by Stephanie Kyung Sun Walters as a Semi-Finalist for the 2022 Premiere Play Festival. HALF OF CHOPSTICKS rose through a competitive selection process conducted by Premiere staff and a panel of outside theatre professionals to become one of 35 semifinalists out of 655 submissions. The panel was particularly impressed by the subversion of expectations for a ghost on stage, the fast-paced dialogue, and its clear dramatic question around issues of identity, community, and assimilation. Our congratulations and thanks to Stephanie. ”
  • Maximillian Gill:
    27 Dec. 2021
    “ A lovely play about family and so much more. The use of the ghost of the deceased father is a marvelous device to illuminate generations and loss and grievances that take determined work to resolve. The play and these determined characters do that work, and it's wonderful to behold. ”
  • Brittany Brandt:
    3 Dec. 2021
    “ Half of Chopsticks is such a great play about family and struggle. I absolutely love Korean culture so it was amazing to actually find one that I LOVED! Also who doesn't love a play that incorporates food! This is a MUST READ!! ”
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Character Information

EMMY - Hot headed and kind of a grump, 30s Asian American

VINCE - Charming and practical, 30s Asian American, Hapa

BRADY - Warm and playful, 30s Asian American

DEAD DAD - Ghost. Practical and hot headed. 50s Asian/Asian American

  • Emmy
    30s,
    korean american
    ,
    Female
    Hot headed and kind of a grump, 30s Asian American
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Vince
    30s,
    Korean Hapa
    ,
    Male
    Charming and practical, 30s Asian American, Hapa
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Brady
    30s,
    korean american
    ,
    Male
    Warm and playful, 30s Asian American
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Dead Dad
    50s,
    Korean
    ,
    Male
    Ghost. Practical and hot headed. 50s Asian/Asian American
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Male

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Boise Contemporary Theatre
    ,
    2021
  • Reading
    ,
    Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists
    ,
    2020

Awards

Finalist
,
Seven Devils Playwrights Conference
,
Seven Devils
,
2021