Jessica Huang's MOTHER OF EXILES to Have World Premiere at Berkeley Rep
Performances will run from November 14–December 21, 2025.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Oct. 01, 2025
This fall, Berkeley Repertory Theatre will present the world premiere of Jessica Huang’s Mother of Exiles — a multigenerational triptych that blends historical drama with supernatural encounters, weaving moments of surprising humor into a powerful portrait of belonging and resilience — performing at Berkeley Rep’s Peet’s Theatre from Friday, November 14 through Sunday, December 21, 2025.
In 1898, on Angel Island, a pregnant Eddie Loi faces deportation amid America’s tightening immigration laws. A century later, her great-grandson Braulio, through his role in the Miami border patrol, inadvertently conjures her spirit — unleashing a witty, opinionated ancestor. By 2063, their descendants, beset by climate catastrophe, embark on a perilous oceanic journey seeking sanctuary. From detention to diaspora, Mother of Exiles follows a single family’s century-and-a-half odyssey — tracing their flight, fight, and the futures they dare imagine. Mother of Exiles was developed in The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep’s Center for the Creation and Development of New Work.
“I take great pride and pleasure in Berkeley Rep's deep and ongoing commitment to bringing brand new works to life for the first time, and am delighted that Mother of Exiles is the first of three world premiere productions this season,” said Berkeley Rep Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer. “Jessica and Jaki worked on the play together during The Ground Floor’s Summer Residency Lab, and it is a privilege to now fully realize it on our mainstage, in the presence of this community. Jessica's storytelling is a beautiful blend of heightened theatricality, deep truths, and the true comedy of the human existence, and to see her bring her specific lens to this depiction of multigenerational immigration stories feels incredibly potent in this moment.”
“I've been dreaming of sharing my work with Berkeley Rep's audiences since 2019, when I first experienced Berkeley Rep's meticulous, compassionate, and deeply inspiring support at the Ground Floor,” adds Huang. “For so many reasons, Berkeley Rep is the perfect place for Mother of Exile's world premiere — the story begins in the Bay, with the first movement taking place at Angel Island. It's a story about the communities that comprise the Bay Area, and how they've come together throughout history in mutual aid and support. It's a story about land and water and history and the future. Berkeley Rep has a material reputation in our field as a thoughtful producer of bold new work, and this play has been deemed "venturous" for a reason! With three distinct times and places, a cast of six incredible actors playing 20+ characters, a playful approach to tone that shifts from historical drama to farce to dystopic futurism, and themes of migration, ancestry, and cross-cultural love, Mother of Exiles is a big, dangerous, unapologetic expression of my heart at this moment. I'm so thrilled to bring it to life with the incredible team at Berkeley Rep, and to join the ranks of the plays and artists who have premiered their work in this celebrated theatre.”
The cast of Mother of Exiles includes (in alphabetical order): Michele Selene Ang, Emma Kikue, David Mason, Camila Moreno, Monica Orozco, and Ricardo Vazquez.
Directed by Jaki Bradley, the creative team of Mother of Exiles includes Riw Rakkulchon (Scenic Design), Haydee Zelideth (Costume Design), Reza Behjat (Lighting Design), Jake Rodriguez (Sound Design), Nick Hussong (Video Design), Stephanie Yankwitt, CSA (Casting), Kristy Bodall (Stage Manager), and Anthony Lopez (Assistant Stage Manager).
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