Mending the Past Through “Mother of Exiles” and Collective Storytelling
An interview with the playwright of Berkeley Rep’s newest show. Plus, SF Symphony Youth Orchestra begins their season this week and an opera is on demand from SF Opera.
Berkeley Rep’s associate artistic director, David Mendizábal, sat down with Mother of Exiles playwright Jessica Huang and executive director of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, Ed Tepporn, for a conversation about the play, immigration history, and the power of ancestral storytelling.
DAVID MENDIZÁBAL: Jessica, what inspired you to set the first act of Mother of Exiles at Angel Island in 1898?
JESSICA HUANG: When I was in history class, the immigration pathway I learned about was through Ellis Island. I didn’t learn very much about the West Coast immigration pathway, which is wild because that’s where half of my identity comes from. And so when I first learned about Angel Island after college, I was fascinated by its history and by that journey. I began doing research into Angel Island, which has so much documentation because of the incredible work being done by the Immigration Station Foundation, and it became an American landmark for me. When I started to write Mother of Exiles, which tells the story of multiple generations of one American family from the moment they immigrate to the moment they emigrate, it made sense to me to start this story at Angel Island.
DM: Ed, since you started as executive director at the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation in 2019, has anything changed in your experience of the island and its importance over time?
ED TEPPORN: Like Jessica, I didn’t learn about Angel Island growing up in Texas, and I didn’t learn about it in college. It wasn’t until I moved to the Bay Area that I started hearing whispers of this place called Angel Island. So, I hope that more people are becoming increasingly aware of this important place and chapter not only in Californian history, but in US history. Both Angel Island and Ellis Island represent bookends of how our nation has treated immigrants and remind us how we’re treating immigrants today. When I first joined in 2019, it was right before COVID-19, and before we saw the significant increase in anti-Asian racism and xenophobia that came with the pandemic. And so, six years later, especially with all the anti-immigrant rhetoric that we’re hearing and seeing, it is even more important that everyone understands, recognizes, and connects with this part of our history.
Voted San Francisco Magazine's Best Dance Experience, ODC/Dance returns to the stage with the beloved Bay Area holiday tradition, The Velveteen Rabbit. Brimming with wit, madcap characters, world-class dance, and the perfect amount of holiday cheer!
On the Stage
SF Symphony Youth Orchestra
Classical | San Francisco Symphony
November 23 | Tickets
The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra launches its season with an energetic program headed by Gabriela Ortiz’s Kauyumari, which invokes a magical blue deer.
More Events
- Timon of Athens | American Conservatory Theater | Now – November 22
- The Monkey King | San Francisco Opera | Now – November 30 | View Print Program
- Open Captioned: All performances
- Mother of Exiles | Berkeley Repertory Theatre | Now – December 21 | View Program
- Closed Captioned: evening performances now to November 26
- Manual Cinema | Cal Performances | November 22
Next Line
- American Conservatory Theater has announced that Artistic Director Pam MacKinnon will step down at the conclusion of the 2025/26 season, ending her eight-year tenure leading the company.
- Enjoy a world premiere opera from the comfort of your living room. Streaming access for The Monkey King, presented by SF Opera, begins on November 23.
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