Brackish

by Hope Villanueva

Sang Dao and his grown daughters own a restaurant in Galveston, TX, and are thinking the time has come to sell. When they gather for an important anniversary, the re-assess the meaning of home in the light of a racist act and the appearances of spectres from the past.

Sang Dao and his grown daughters own a restaurant in Galveston, TX, and are thinking the time has come to sell. When they gather for an important anniversary, the re-assess the meaning of home in the light of a racist act and the appearances of spectres from the past.

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Brackish

Recommended by

  • Playwrights Foundation: Brackish by Hope Villanueva
    “

    The community of National Committee readers for the 46th Bay Area Playwrights Festival advanced BRACKISH as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation. We were compelled by the dramaturgical use of ghosts, who were uniquely positioned as playful and human, as holders of nostalgia, a father's hope, and the trauma of memories washing over like waves. We leaned into the themes of selling a home, leaving behind a past and embracing the living daughters, and the connection to food. We hope this play is considered for further development and investigation, and finds dedicated collaborators in this...

    The community of National Committee readers for the 46th Bay Area Playwrights Festival advanced BRACKISH as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation. We were compelled by the dramaturgical use of ghosts, who were uniquely positioned as playful and human, as holders of nostalgia, a father's hope, and the trauma of memories washing over like waves. We leaned into the themes of selling a home, leaving behind a past and embracing the living daughters, and the connection to food. We hope this play is considered for further development and investigation, and finds dedicated collaborators in this play’s journey towards production. #BAPF46

    read more
    ”
  • Diego Barba: Brackish by Hope Villanueva
    “

    This is a beautiful piece, boasting dynamic characters and timely themes. The use of apparitions set amidst the backdrop of this fractured family in a moment of change nearly brought me to tears. I also appreciated the way Villanueva would describe the passage of time in stage directions. There is a lot being said here about the consistency of change: how much weight the past can carry, how present times can bog us down and overwhelm, and how the future is not yet determined.

    This is a beautiful piece, boasting dynamic characters and timely themes. The use of apparitions set amidst the backdrop of this fractured family in a moment of change nearly brought me to tears. I also appreciated the way Villanueva would describe the passage of time in stage directions. There is a lot being said here about the consistency of change: how much weight the past can carry, how present times can bog us down and overwhelm, and how the future is not yet determined.

    ”
  • Mackenna Goodrich: Brackish by Hope Villanueva
    “

    A gorgeous, layered play with a full, clear world. I can really see it on a stage, so I hope a theatre scoops it up soon.

    A gorgeous, layered play with a full, clear world. I can really see it on a stage, so I hope a theatre scoops it up soon.

    ”
View all 6 recommendations

Character Information

All the characters are Vietnamese and should be played by Asian actors.

The actor who plays Quang doubles as Officer Garcia.

The actor who plays Hang doubles as Old Woman/Clarice.
  • Sang Dao
    A fisherman and owner of Pho & Phish. Used to and loves a life of hard work. Was 3 when he left Vietnam
    48
    Vietnamese American
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Linh
    Sang Dao's older daughter, business savvy and nurturing of her father and sister. Was 6 when Quang died.
    24
    Vietnamese American
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Tuyet
    Sang Dao's younger daughter, training to be a chef. Anxious and a people pleaser. Was 3 when Quang died.
    21
    Vietnamese American
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Hang
    Female, in her 60s. Sang Dao's mother. A playful, smart woman. Immigrating to the States from Vietnam made her tough and eager to find joy.
    60s
    Vietnamese American
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Quang
    Sang Dao's oldest child and only son. Died as a toddler and this is what Sang Dao imagined he'd be like.
    18
    Vietnamese American
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Old Woman/Clarice
    A customer. Or is she? (Same actor as Hang)
    60s
    Vietnamese American
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Officer Garcia
    A police officer who takes the report of the vandalism from the family. (Same actor as Quang)
    20s
    Vietnamese American (possibly half another ethnicity)
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male

Development History

  • Reading, The Parsnip Ship Play Reading Club, 2020

Production History

Awards

  • Blue Ink Award
    American Blues Theatre
    Semi-Finalist
    2023
  • Bay Area Playwrights Festival 2023
    Bay Area Playwrights Festival
    Semi-Finalist
    2023
  • Seven Devils Play Foundry
    Semi-Finalist
    2021