Nomad Motel

by Carla Ching

Alix lives in a tiny motel room with her mother and two brothers, scrabbling to make weekly rent. Mason lives comfortably in a grand, empty house while his father runs jobs for the Hong Kong Triad. Until the day his father disappears and Mason has to figure out how to come up with grocery money and dodge Child Services and the INS. Mason and Alex develop an unlikely friendship, struggling to survive, and...

Alix lives in a tiny motel room with her mother and two brothers, scrabbling to make weekly rent. Mason lives comfortably in a grand, empty house while his father runs jobs for the Hong Kong Triad. Until the day his father disappears and Mason has to figure out how to come up with grocery money and dodge Child Services and the INS. Mason and Alex develop an unlikely friendship, struggling to survive, and trying to outrun the mistakes of their parents. Will they make it out or fall through the cracks? A play about Motel Kids and Parachute Kids raising themselves and living at the poverty line in a land of plenty.

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Nomad Motel

Recommended by

  • Nick Malakhow: Nomad Motel

    A complex and gorgeous examination of two infinitely compelling characters (everyone in the piece is well drawn, though I'm specifically referring to Mason and Alix). Carla so wonderfully brings together these two characters with both parallel and intersecting experiences of family, home, and identity, and clocks these subtle but propulsive seismic shifts in their relationship and their senses of themselves. The use of transitory spaces and the juxtaposition of expansive emptiness and cramped claustrophobia is so interesting from a design perspective. I hope to see many theaters and bodies...

    A complex and gorgeous examination of two infinitely compelling characters (everyone in the piece is well drawn, though I'm specifically referring to Mason and Alix). Carla so wonderfully brings together these two characters with both parallel and intersecting experiences of family, home, and identity, and clocks these subtle but propulsive seismic shifts in their relationship and their senses of themselves. The use of transitory spaces and the juxtaposition of expansive emptiness and cramped claustrophobia is so interesting from a design perspective. I hope to see many theaters and bodies interpret this piece in years to come!

  • Molly Ross: Nomad Motel

    A wonderfully unique story, Ching captures the truth of these teenager's struggles with the whole world seemingly against them. This play piqued my interest and brought me into a world I had never looked into. Profound moments throughout this play pulled me in even more and I craved to know more about the lives and struggles of parachute and motel kids, and a beautiful yet surprising ending stayed with me long after it was over.

    A wonderfully unique story, Ching captures the truth of these teenager's struggles with the whole world seemingly against them. This play piqued my interest and brought me into a world I had never looked into. Profound moments throughout this play pulled me in even more and I craved to know more about the lives and struggles of parachute and motel kids, and a beautiful yet surprising ending stayed with me long after it was over.

  • National New Play Network: Nomad Motel

    NOMAD MOTEL by Carla Ching received a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. The partnering NNPN Member Theaters are City Theatre Company (Pittsburg, PA), Horizon Theatre (Atlanta, GA), and Unicorn Theatre (Kansas City, MO).

    NOMAD MOTEL by Carla Ching received a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. The partnering NNPN Member Theaters are City Theatre Company (Pittsburg, PA), Horizon Theatre (Atlanta, GA), and Unicorn Theatre (Kansas City, MO).

View all 4 recommendations

Character Information

  • Mason
    Chinese American in a black hoodie -- a lonely misunderstood genius
    Character Age
    17
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Asian American
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • James
    strapping, cocky, leather jacket, perfectly coiffed hair, from Hong Kong
    Character Age
    40s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Asian American
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Oscar
    a dude of color, aqua blue dredlocks, a modern day Basquiat, gregarious, a dreamer
    Character Age
    17
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    BIPOC
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Alix
    a scrappy tomboy with a shock of blonde hair -- bigger than the town she's from
    Character Age
    17
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    White
    Character Gender Identity
    Woman OR Femme/NB
  • Fiona
    a gorgeous and cultured blonde former Huntington Beach gal
    Character Age
    late 30s, early 40s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    White
    Character Gender Identity
    woman

Development History

  • Type Workshop, Organization Atlantic Theatre Company, Year 2017
  • Type Workshop, Organization O'Neill Playwrights Conference, Year 2015
  • Type Commission, Organization South Coast Rep/Time Warner CrossRoads Commission, Year 2013

Production History