Dear Friends,

Welcome to Seattle Rep’s production of Lloyd Suh’s acclaimed new play, The Heart Sellers. Suh’s funny, timely, and (yes!) heartfelt two-hander has been moving audiences at theaters nationwide with its humor, humanity, and tenderness. For proof, see American Theatre Magazine’s 2025/26 list of the most-produced plays in the country, where The Heart Sellers enjoys the good company of recent Seattle Rep productions Come From Away and last season’s beloved Primary Trust. We’re so glad you’re here to experience our Seattle-made local premiere.

Suh, whose plays The Chinese Lady and The Far Country have cemented his reputation as one of the most vital voices in contemporary American theater, offers here a deceptively simple story. On Thanksgiving night in 1973, two young immigrant women, Luna and Jane, meet by chance. Referring to the Hart–Celler Act of 1965, which transformed American immigration policy and demographics, the play explores how sweeping national change moves through private spaces. Over food, curiosity, and the tentative laughter of strangers, two people begin to share hopes, frustrations, and the fragile possibility that friendship may take root.

_{Dámaso Rodríguez and Sunam Ellis at The Heart Sellers Meet & Greet. Photo by Sayed Alamy.}

We are happy to welcome Seattle theater-maker Sunam Ellis to helm this production in her Seattle Rep directorial debut. Ellis, one of Seattle’s leading actors, approaches The Heart Sellers with the exceptional sensitivity of a skilled performer attuned to the play’s quiet turns and the emotional risks of two people finding friendship and commonality.

Her approach to the production has been to center the play’s heart: intimacy and connection. And it’s hard to imagine a better home for this play than the Leo K. Theater. The performance space itself becomes part of the storytelling. You don’t observe from afar; you are close to Luna and Jane as you witness their tentative bond taking shape. In this space, with our phones off, newsfeeds stilled, and a shared point of focus, silence is audible, glances carry meaning, and small gestures can evoke recognition and belonging.

_{The cast and creative team of The Heart Sellers. Photo by Sayed Alamy.}

From all of us at Seattle Rep, we are so glad you are here and wish you a joyful start to the New Year. I hope you’ll return soon for one (or all!) of the dynamically different productions we are preparing for you. Up next: The renowned Tectonic Theater Project brings us their profound Here There Are Blueberries, followed by Seattle-made premieres of recent Broadway sensations, Amy Herzog’s cathartic drama Mary Jane and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ incendiary comedy Appropriate. I look forward to welcoming you back to the theater!

Until next time,

Dámaso Rodríguez
Artistic Director

See The Heart Sellers for yourself, playing at Seattle Rep Jan. 2–Feb 1, 2026.

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