| Sudden Enlightenment Theatre presents DREAMS OF A PICTURE BRIDE, based on the fascinating true story of Korean picture brides who emigrated to Honolulu from 1912 to 1924.
DREAMS OF A PICTURE BRIDE uses dance, text, slides and music collage to tell the story of the Korean mail-order brides who bravely moved to Hawaii to marry Korean men who worked in the sugar cane fields.
The first wave of Korean male immigrants arrived in Honolulu in January of 1903, dreaming of wealth and a better life. They soon found themselves working on the sugar plantations for 69¢ a day. Unable to save the$300 necessary to return to Korea and unwilling to marry the resident Hawaiian, Chinese and Japanese women, they turned to matchmakers to send to Korea for picture brides. Pictures were exchanged – though the men’s photos were by now somewhat old– and a group of 951 courageous young ladies, mainly from North and South Kyongsang Provinces, agreed to make the move. Their number was far from sufficient, for there were more than 5000 Korean bachelors; however, even the small number of brides had a great impact on the community. Initially, the women experienced many difficulties in a strange society with a different language and different customs. In addition, some were unaware that there would be a significant age difference between them and their new husbands. The couples eventually accepted their new lives and partners and worked to make easier lives for their children. |