Instant Noodle

Having just lost her Indonesian mother less than a year ago, MARIANNA, a biracial Indonesian woman, comes home to Pasadena for her, Caucasian, DAD’s birthday. This is Dad’s first birthday since the passing of MOM, and it is hard for him since she would often make birthdays feel very special. Mom does this by making a instant noodle dish, which symbolizes long life for Indonesians. Yet this year due to grief, regret, and her unwillingness to embrace her Indonesian culture, Marianna decides not to have the Indonesian instant noodle ready for her dad on his birthday. So, when her dad tells her that he would like to have the instant noodle for his birthday, Marianna is forced to go on a last-minute grocery run. Unfortunately, for Marianna, this short errand turns into a gargantuan task, when Marianna encounters a series of unfortunate events. Starting with her car breaking down, followed by her phone dying, before ending with her not having enough cash to purchase the instant noodle. Thankfully though, Marianna is not alone in this journey, because Mom is there to help and comes in and out of the story as a ghostly memory, and as figments of Marianna’s imagination. Also, along the way, Marianna meets people who help her go on her journey. People like ANDREAS, the wise car mechanic, and AUDREY a ten-year-old, Indonesian girl who helps Marianna find the instant noodle. By meeting these people, Marianna is forced to confront her Indonesian heritage and her relationship with her mom. So, by the end of her journey, Marianna is able to come to terms with her Indonesian culture and grieve the loss of her mom to cancer by continuing her mom’s tradition of making instant noodles for every birthday celebration.

Plays in

Shorts Program 4: BETWEEN YOU AND ME