The Golden Spike

by Don Nguyen & The Lobbyists

BRIClab Residency

The Golden Spike borrows elements of the Monkey King legend to tell an epic love story of Sun Wu and Jiao Zhou spanning 13 years, from the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad to the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Sun Wu, a Chinese railroad worker pursuing equal rights for his fellow laborers, finds himself caught in the machinations of America’s largest infrastructure project. While his head is steadily focused on negotiating fair working conditions for him and his fellow workers, his heart yearns for a young Chinese laundress. weaving strong emotional narratives of Chinese and Irish immigrants, and driven by a rocking folk-roots score from NY-based theater collective & band The Lobbyists, The Golden Spike explores the pursuit of love, family, truth, and the sparkling light of equality under the otherwise dark shadow of America’s history.