Home[sic]
What do you call a place that’s more than just a birthplace, more than your place of origin…but still not exactly “home”?
Elizabeth Liang's new solo show explores the concept of home in terms of place, family, and one's own body, with references to her birthplace of Guatemala; the Japanese invasion of China; her relationship with her loving, brilliant, mercurial grandmother; and her own identity as someone who "began" as a Guatemalan but can no longer fully claim the culture as her own. Since her peripatetic childhood made “home” less about place and more about people—especially the elders—what does it mean when the elders are gone?
This new work focuses on something that affects everyone in unique ways: home as a feeling of belonging—in one's country, in one’s family, in one’s body. How do we navigate the moments when that feeling is and isn’t present in environments where we might expect it to be?
Home[sic] was developed over many years. Elizabeth completed the script thanks to The Solo Project, generously sponsored by Amy Hill with support from EWP Arts Education for East West Players, where the work in progress had a staged reading on May 18, 2025.
The solo show premiered at the Jaxx Theatre in East Hollywood on December 5, 2025.
Director: Giovanni Ortega
Co-producers: Elizabeth Liang and Jaxx Theatricals, Inc.
Associate Producers: Richard Lee & Karen Smith
Lighting Designers: Giovanni Ortega, Colin Tracy, & Elizabeth Liang
Sound Designers: Daniel Lawrence, Elizabeth Liang,
& Giovanni Ortega
Projection Designers: Daniel Lawrence & Elizabeth Liang
Stage Manager: Nathaniel O’Neal
Graphic Designer: Gene Michael Barrera
Dramaturgs: Alice Tuan, Giovanni Ortega, & Daniel Lawrence
Jaxx Theatricals - The Jaxx Theatre
Artistic Director....Jeremy Lucas
Managing Director...JD Morabito
Producing Director...Colin Tracy
Thank you to the show’s generous donors for your wonderful support!
Richard Lee
Karen Smith
Ronald Antinoja & Margot Amestoy
Jennifer Blaine
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Kami Amestoy Lee
Jeff Marlow
Penelope Peters
Johannes Tang
Kikuko Tanimoto
Phil Ward
Anonymous
Praise for Home[sic]
a solo show by Elizabeth Liang
"Loved Home[sic], which powerfully recreates a sense of 'home' with humor, heartache, and history. Liang is so gifted and generous. I see why her director said it reminded him of Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits. It’s true."
- Kamran Afary, Associate Professor, Cal State LA
“Liang gives a dynamic performance as 'home' comes alive through her lush writing and unforgettable characters.“
- Alice Tuan, Playwright
“Beautiful and poignant in the hands of a master storyteller, Liang embodies an incredible story about family, home, and memory.”
- Rena Heinrich, Artist/Scholar, Author of Race and Role: The Mixed-Race Experience in American Drama
"Excellent, brave work! An achingly evocative and truthful piece.”
- Heather Woodbury, Obie Award winning Playwright & Performer
"Excellent show! Loved it! A fresh and unique take on universal themes of home and loss."
- Thomas Lopez, Founder of Latinos of Mixed Ancestry (LOMA)
"So wonderful!! Incredible writing and beautiful and moving acting...So lucky to have experienced it. Still astounded by the fact that I could swear I saw all of the people and places in this play - when in fact it was just Lisa and her remarkable stagecraft."
- Christine Dunford, Actor
"Fantastic show!"
- Christina Hoag, Author & TCK
"Just marvelous! The storytelling artistry is simply inspiring! A nuanced performance embodying so many people and moments. Amusing yet heartfelt—touched so many chords beautifully with fire, humor, and emotional depth."
- Jit Sarkar, Actor
"We laughed, we cried, we were mesmerized. We resonated with the seeking of home—it was just deep stuff! The end left both of us breathless. Fearless and gorgeous writing and fearless everything on stage. The music of her words was beautiful.”
- C.O. Moed, Author of It Was Her New York
& Ted Krever, Author of Swindler & Son
“The show is funny and moving and incredibly inspiring — if I’d seen something like this when I was in college, it would have changed my life, no exaggeration.”
- Jeff Marlow, Actor & TCK Scholar
"Spectacular! The show was so moving--I just loved it! Lisa is such an incredible writer, storyteller, and actress! Brava!”
- Jennifer Blaine, Actor/Playwright/ Transformational Coach
"I loved the show. Once again, Lisa has made me feel less alone/more normal, wrestling with assimilation and belonging. It was deeply and wonderfully personal and yet she managed to tie it all in with what is going on right now for so many of us. I could go on."
- Diahann Reyes-Lane, Author
"The show is wonderful! Liang is an intelligent, engaging storyteller."
- Michelle Welk, Actor
"Thanks for creating such a beautiful evening! The show really was wonderful !"
- Meg Wallace, Producer/Actor
"Congratulations on the incredible show!!"
- Jason Sino, Actor
Gallery
Press photos by Hannah “Hann” Crews
Rehearsing with director Giovanni Ortega
Photos below by Daniel Lawrence
Video Clips
Playbill
Click HERE