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Although he’s not from Minnesota, playwright Lloyd Suh says he’s always felt at home in the Twin Cities.  

“The community here — in particular, the Asian American theater community — is so vibrant and has been a really critical part of my development as a writer,” said Suh.

 While it is the first time the Guthrie has produced his work, his other plays have been staged by companies like Theater Mu, The Children’s Theatre Company and Open Eye Theatre.  

“The Heart Sellers” tells a story about a friendship between two women, both Asian immigrants to an unspecified medium-sized U.S. city. Suh says that it’s purposely set in an ambiguous place so that it can morph into whatever city the play is staged in.  

“It’s kind of a question of portability ... [so] if you produce the play in Minneapolis, then it could be set in the Twin Cities.”

The play takes its name from a landmark 1960s immigration law, the Hart-Cellar Act. This repealed a quota-based system previously used by the U.S. that excluded immigrants from much of the world. Llana Barber is the director of the University of Minnesota’s Immigration History Research Center.  

“The reality is that Hart-Celler profoundly transformed the demographic United States, enabling significant legal immigration from Asia, Latin America and Africa,” Barber said.

The play is a milestone for Suh, and is part of a larger collection of pieces he has been working on. 

“This play is the sort of finale of his extended exploration of Asian American history,” said Christine Mok, the dramaturg who worked on this production of “The Heart Sellers.” 

The multiple plays touch on important moments in the history of Asian America — from the first Chinese woman in America to the Chinese Exclusion Act and ultimately the Hart-Celler.

“He has five of them ... they span over 150 plus years. And this play is the one that, like finishes it for him.” 

Reflecting on the series of plays, he was struck by how massive pieces of legislation — like the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Hart-Cellar Act — can affect lives in many ways.  

“Not just economically and geographically, but socially and culturally,” Suh said.  

“The Heart Sellers” premiered in 2023 at Milwaukee Rep. The inspiration for it came from conversations Suh had with friend and collaborator May Adrales about their mothers’ lives in the 1970s. Adrales is directing this production at the Guthrie.  

“It really brings me to tears when I think about it. Every time I get to work on this play, and every time I'm experiencing it sitting in the audience, I feel like I understand my mom so much better,” Adrales said.

Adrales recalls a story about her mother when the two visited the Philippines when Adrales was a young adult. 

“All my childhood, I had always thought that my mom was a quite diffident person, very quiet, reserved,” Adrales said. But being with her friends in the Philippines, Adrales’ mother showed a charismatic and outgoing side. While Adrales found the moment beautiful, it was also sad, knowing she’ll never know that side of her mother fully.  

“In revisiting this play, I get to imagine that and sort of, I guess, get to know that person.” 

Similarly, looking back on the work has revealed things to Suh — especially when he thinks about how the Hart-Cellar Act is directly connected to how his family came to the U.S.

“Once I was able to kind of process that and understand that. It was, yeah, it was really rewarding. And thankfully, I wasn't too self-aware of that while it was happening,” Suh said with a laugh. 

Beyond the play’s autobiographical elements, the fact that Suh set the story in the 1970s puts it at a time that echoes current events — including news of martial law in South Korea and a president accused of criminal behavior.   

“What we're focused on is right now, the joy in the room and like that feels to me, like the reason why I do any of this, and like why any of this matters,” he said.  

“The Heart Sellers” runs in Minneapolis through Jan. 25.  

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Jacob Aloi

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Playwright Lloyd Suh’s “The Heart Sellers” explores friendship, immigration, and the enduring impact of history through the lens of two Asian immigrant women in 1970s America.

Revisiting mothers, reimagining stories: Lloyd Suh finds connection and meaning in ‘The Heart Sellers’

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