Almost sixty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 into law. Also known as the Hart-Celler Act, this law eliminated previous immigration policies that were heavily biased in favor of European immigrants and opened the doors for people from Asia, Latin America and other parts of the world to immigrate to the United States. In the play The Heart Sellers, two Asian immigrants named Jane and Luna forge a friendship over the course of a single evening on Thanksgiving in 1973. This heartwarming comedy will be wrapping up its run at Florida Studio Theatre (FST) on February 16, 2025.

 The cast brought lived experiences to their roles in the play. The costumes and set meticulously capture the 1973 setting. Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 North Palm Avenue, Sarasota, 941-366-9000, flor

THE CAST BROUGHT LIVED EXPERIENCES TO THEIR ROLES IN THE PLAY. THE COSTUMES AND SET METICULOUSLY CAPTURE THE 1973 SETTING. FLORIDA STUDIO THEATRE, 1241 NORTH PALM AVENUE, SARASOTA, 941-366-9000, FLOR

“The play takes place in the early seventies, not long after the Hart-Celler act. These two young women are in Toledo, Ohio where their husbands are residents in medical school, and they are some of the first immigrants to come over. So they are isolated—isolated in America and isolated in the resident community,” explains director Kate Alexander. “They meet each other in their matching puffer Kmart jackets in a store on Thanksgiving Day. And what unfolds with these two women is the most beautiful story, I think, of how they had to sell their hearts to come here.”

Jane and Luna are the only two characters in the play, which gives the production a sense of intimacy. Much of the conflict is internal instead of external. The two don’t become instant friends—when Jane arrives at Luna’s apartment she spends a long time lingering in the doorway in her puffer jacket, hesitant to cross the threshold. But as the evening unfolds, they get to know each other as the audience gets to know them.

“For me, it’s a story of how we’re alone until we forge something new and find that thing we can hold onto. They don’t know that they’re so hungry for connection. They feel fortunate that they’re married, that they got out of war, that they escaped, so they don’t feel they have the right to express discontent,” Alexander says. “After drinking wine and trying to cook a turkey they have no idea how to cook, what unfolds is them gently expressing what they need. It’s so funny and tender and heartbreaking and poignant. But it’s ultimately about the resiliency of the human spirit.” Language of origin is a critical component to the play, so playwright Lloyd Suh has specified that the characters must be played by characters of Asian or Pacific Island descent with lived or inherited experience with the characters’ respective dialects. Jane, portrayed by Michelle Heera Kim is Korean; Luna, portrayed by Rona Figueroa is Filipina. FST engaged in an exhaustive national search to find the best actresses for the roles. The production also utilizes a dialect coach.

“Dialects are hard on stage. Accents need to have a light touch to make sure certain words are heard,” Alexander explains. “Also, someone who comes over as a direct immigrant usually has a very heavy accent. These women grew up in bilingual households but they are assimilated Americans who grew up here, so the accent will be clearer.”

Authenticity and connection has run through every facet of the production. FST hired costume designer Anthony Tran, who did the costumes for the original production of The Heart Sellers. In addition to making sure the costumes are congruous to the era while also having the appropriate regional influences, he worked closely with the cast to find colors they felt good in. They also did days of table reads to dive deep into the script and draw parallels between the play and the actors’ own family stories. “I think this production is even more collaborative than usual because of the cultural influences,” Alexander says. “As a director, it’s a different culture for me. It was imperative that I gave space to listen to the cultural influences and reactions instead of imposing my own viewpoint.”

Images coutesy of Florida Studio Theatre.