Cleveland Premiere of THE HEART SELLERS Comes to Dobama

Dobama Theatre will kick off 2026 with the Cleveland Premiere of The Heart Sellers by celebrated American playwright Lloyd Suh. A heartfelt comedy about finding friendship in the land of opportunity, this production is directed by Julia ROSA Sosa Chaparro and runs January 29 - February 22, 2026. Starring Nova Gomez and Kat Shy, this play has been one of the top ten plays produced in the United States the past two seasons, establishing itself as one of the American theatre's most important new plays.

The play takes place on Thanksgiving Day 1973 when Jane and Luna run into each other at the grocery store. They spend the holiday together at Luna's small apartment and soon discover that they have much in common. They are both 23, recent Asian immigrants, and each have hardworking absentee husbands. Homesick and lonely, they are adjusting to a new country, filled with as much uncertainty as the places they've left. Over a bottle of wine (or two) and a questionable frozen turkey, they dream of Disneyland, learning to drive, and an unknowable future as they share their hopes and fears of making a new reality a home.

Playwright Lloyd Suh is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and one of the most produced playwrights in America over the past decade. His remarkable play The Heart Sellers received the 2024 Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award, honoring the most outstanding play that premiered professionally outside of New York City in the previous year.

The New York Times called Suh's play "Beautiful... THE HEART SELLERS is about intelligent, curious, creative women who find themselves bereft in a new country - where they recognize something in each other, and cheer each other on."

The design team for this Dobama production includes Naoko Skala (scenic), Jakyung C. Seo (lights), Suwatana Rockland (costumes), Bella Brehm (sound), Tegan Wilson (props), Gabriel Semrau (assistant director), PK Kaya (dramaturg), Joy Lanceta Coronel (dialect coach), Joel Rathbone* (stage manager), and McKenna Pfeiffer (assistant stage manager).

Performances are Thursdays through Sunday from January 29 - February 22, 2026. Evening performances are at 7:30pm and matinees at 2:30pm. For a complete performance schedule, ticket prices and reservations, call the Dobama Theatre box office at 216-932-3396. Ask about the "pay-what-you-can" performances and opportunities.