INTERVIEW: Woman searches for her true heritage in new play, ‘Remembering Evangeline’

A New England man is haunted by the memory of a woman he left behind in Korea, and, as dreams and desires collide, the couple’s daughter searches for her true heritage. Remembering Evangeline, currently playing New York City’s HERE, follows each of these narratives on a quest to understand one’s identity and how the past informs the future.

The piece, which brings together traditional Korean and contemporary dance, is written and directed by Renee Philippi, and performed by Carlo Adinolfi, Sook Kim and Eun Sung Lee. The production is a world premiere from the Concrete Temple Theatre and runs through June 17.

The title, Remembering Evangeline, is inspired by the poem Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and, according to a press release, the production centers on the important themes of love, loss and return.

Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Philippi about the production. The playwright’s other works include Geppetto, Alone in Triptych, The Bellagio Fountain Has Been Known to Make Me Cry, Bird Machine and The Whale. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.

What can audience members expect from Remembering Evangeline?

They can expect to be taken on an emotional journey of love: losing and regaining, losing one’s self, losing others and making one’s way (finding a way) back to both.

What about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem inspired you to tell this story?

His passion and the gorgeous language of his poem! I was taken by the way in which he wove history and social commentary into a very moving and personal story of one woman, Evangeline. The poem to me is about displaced people and missed communication, which to me are such important topics. 

How has the mixture of languages and cultural traditions enhanced the piece?

I think it brings home that all people are the same regardless of where we live or were born, and it celebrates a few of the traditions and customs of Korean culture.

How has it been working with the three performers on the piece?

It has been a big adventure, and in some ways, it has been ironic that the very subject matter of the play — communication and missed communication between people, and then communication that connects cultures and languages — was central to the rehearsal process.

What have you learned about yourself as a theatrical artist while working on Remembering Evangeline?

Personally, I have learned that I truly am an inpatient person, and that if one is patient and listens, one reaps huge rewards. Nothing is as it seems. It is in the revealing, the revelation, the discovery that our hearts are opened.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

Remembering Evangeline plays HERE through June 17. The theater is located at 145 Sixth Ave. below Spring Street. Click here for more information and tickets.