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Department of Theatre and Performance Studies presents “Mother Road”
Story by Kathie Beckett; Photos by Casey Gardner Ford
Modern epic of American identity and immigration inspired by “Grapes of Wrath”
Kennesaw State University’s Department of Theatre and Performance Studies (TPS) presented Mother Road in February 2022 at the Onyx Theater. Inspired by The Grapes of Wrath, this modern epic picked up generations later when William Joad must find a blood relative to inherit the family land in Oklahoma that was abandoned in Steinbeck’s novel.
TPS senior Matthew White played Joad, his first leading role in a TPS production. Joad convinces the only surviving descendant, young Mexican American Martín Jodes, to travel with him from California, across the American heartland, to Oklahoma. During their journey, the men forge an unexpected bond as they grapple with the brutal past and strive for a hopeful future. Commissioned by the National Steinbeck Center and first read as part of the National Steinbeck Festival, Mother Road is an inventive and engrossing tale of American identity, immigration, and the ties that bind.
Guest Director María Eugenia Arboleda said that it’s a play “that makes you question while touching you individually.” The play featured 15 student actors and plenty of music to entertain patrons, while also being timely and relevant to today’s social issues.
“Mother Road talks about inclusion and respect; about seeing, understanding, and respecting our differences, while reminding us about how much we are the same! It reminds us that we are all just one, we are just one body, and that’s a beautiful thing,” adds Arboleda. •
Matthew White as William, and Kourage Cooper as Martín.
Mother Road is an inventive and engrossing tale of American identity, immigration, and the ties that bind.
Image: Mother Road ensemble cast
Mother Road's scene design was by student Mackenzie Scales.
