Water By the Spoonful by Quiara Alegría Hudes

Directed by Ronn Johnstone

Elliot has returned to Philadelphia from Iraq, and in the midst of struggling to find his way as a wounded vet, has to plan the funeral of the Aunt who raised him, and confront the Mom who refused to. Yet the mother that Odessa could never be to Elliot is revealed in a chat room, where she mends the broken hearts of recovering addicts with a grace rarely seen. The boundaries and definitions of family are stretched across continents and cyberspace as birth families splinter and virtual families collide. 

Hudes’ play searches long and hard for the hope that lives within every troubled heart. It is a genuine and often raw story, and a brooding meditation on how life always teeters on the brink of redemption. Winner of the 2012 Pulitzer for Drama, Water by the Spoonful is the middle play in a trilogy that explores the journey from war to peace; from wound to scar; from necessity to compassion.