Kardia - a heart seeking
musical
Set in the "perfect" world of 1968 America, and based on true events in
the life of Keith's family, Kardia tells the
story of a young boy's death, and the struggle of his mother to keep
their family, and his heart, alive.Kardia began development in 2017 with a Zoom reading in 2020 and partially staged readings in December 2023 and, after extensive rewrites, July 2024. A workshop production is planned for late 2024.
In 1968, Keith's older brother suddenly died at the age of 11; his family decided to donate his heart, resulting in the second attempt anywhere in the world to transplant a heart in a child; the young girl who received his brother’s heart thrived for a week, then rejected it and died. Families were broken; new families were formed.
Today, when so many seem unable (or unwilling) to fully embrace those who hold views different from their own – be they siblings or neighbors – we think it important to remember that we have control over who we call “family”. No matter what barriers others erect, we control how wide we open our own arms.
Writer/Composer: Keith Herron
Dramaturg: Anne Pasquale
Arrangements: Chris Ranney (Come From Away)
