Winner of the 54th Dong-A Theater Award for Best Production

“Deeply moving as a simple heartfelt meal. A theater that I want to highlight and remember.” -The Hankyoreh

“Aubergine”, the poignant theater piece that deeply touched our hearts last summer comes back two seasons later. Facing the deathbed of his estranged father, who has been so strict all his life, the only son, Ray tries to make one last perfect meal. With such subtle compassion and affection, Julia Cho portrays Ray’s few days when he tries to come to terms with his dying father. As a reviewer wrote “Everything was just perfect,” the stage needs nothing more, nothing less, just full of mesmerizing moments that anyone want to keep in their hearts and take them out to see again and again later.

"You are always already dead. So why not live?"

“Aubergine” tells a story of death, but it is, in fact, a heartful anthem of life. The vivid memories of food told by various characters make the audience laugh and weep because they remind everybody of their own experiences in the past. That’s why It is so heart-warming and comforting. Julia Cho’s lyrical play is beautifully presented and full of flavors by a remarkable cast and sensitive direction. This winter, “Aubergine” invites you to a heart-warming meal that will feed your soul’s hunger.

Synopsis

“Make it so good, my brother will ask for more. This time we won’t let him go.”

Second-generation Korean American chef Ray is about to encounter the death of a father who has drifted away due to differences and a lack of communication. Ray, who can't speak Korean, enlists his ex-girlfriend to help him call his uncle in Korea, with whom he has lost contact over the preceding decades. Ray, his bedridden father, his caregiver, Ray's ex-girlfriend and his uncle all come together at his house to prepare for the final moments of his father’s life as they get to know him better.

Writer : Julia Cho

A second generation Korean-American from LA, Julia writes plays and TV show scripts. She wrote many stories based on her background and experience. She has been acclaimed by critics and won many awards for her delicate lines and impressively structured plots.

Major Works

The Language Archive, Aubergine, The Piano Teacher, Durango, The Winchester House, BFE, The Architecture of Loss, 99 Histories

Awards

2017 Will Glickman Award

2009 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (and many others)

Director : Jeong Seung-hyun

Jeong is a rising theater director from Jakeun Shinhwa (Little Myth) theater company. He has various stage experiences both as actor and director from the theater society of Sogang University. For directing “Moonijoo Project”, he has been awarded for Gold Prize, Best Director Prize and Special Prize in the National University Theater Festival, held by National Theater of Korea. He is passionate to deliver social issues on stage from a perspective of contemporary young Koreans.

Major Works

Before and After Having a Seat Together, Accidental Murderer, A Nap, Lolita, Metamorphosis, Reunion of Foxes, Uncle Vanya, The Wedding of a Petit Bourgeois, A Propose

Awards

Best Director for the 24th National University Theater Festival