The Wild Banana
Our next botanical muse wears the wildness that is at the core of Forbidden Fruit in its name. It’s not just any banana we’re talking about today: it’s The Wild Banana.
Returning StT collaborator Heath Hyun Houghton, playwright of the ghostly tale given voice(s) by actor Madeleine Tran, gives us a comprehensive history of this familiar yet not-so-familiar fruit…
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In 8 words, how would you describe the world of this room?
HHH: Papua New Guinea: overgrown, archeological remains: Kuk Swamp.
Did you pick your fruit? What drew you to it?
HHH: I was given a couple of choices, but the initial offering, wild banana, was ultimately the one i ran with. In the beginning I planned on exploring the impacts of generational racism in the U.S., specifically focusing on the idea of the term banana as a criticism or slur directed at ethnically AAPI people, who culturally identify more with Western culture than ethnic culture. But domestication became a fascinating area of research for me. Particularly the role domestication played in giving rise to ownership and the patriarchy.
Where did you begin with building a story? Has your concept transformed over time?
HHH: Research. I read four books on the banana wars of the twentieth century.
This lead to an understanding of how the banana helped to spur global trade routes from the Caribbean up the eastern coast of the U.S. and across the Atlantic to Europe.
The idea that the vast majority of bananas in grocery stores globally are genetic clones of one type of banana, the cavendish. They never reproduce as they are sexually sterile. As a result all commercial banana plantations are susceptible to a root disease caused by a fungus called fungal fulsarium wilt.
Prior to the middle of the twentieth century all commercial bananas were developed from the Gros Michele, and this banana was the first to be completely commercially eradicated. (The banana still exists, but is not produced industrially.) The success had to do with the banana’s ability to be transported over distances.
Most wild bananas are extremely localized. They cannot travel and maintain their integrity. If not for the horticultural endeavors of those who came before, the banana may very well have never become a global enterprise.
By the early twentieth century, humanity’s relationship with the banana had produced a variety that was more hearty than previous iterations. Andrew Preston and Lorenz Baker were the first to bring bananas to the market in an attainable way. Prior to their work, the banana was a luxury item due to the limited shelf life. Preston and Baker were able to develop refrigerated shipping on a large scale level that transformed the banana from a delectable treat for the rich, to an everyday staple for all. Bananas from Jaimaica, the Gros Michele, were a variation of bananas brought to the Caribbean by Jean Francois Pouyat.
This led to exploring how the banana traveled from Southeast Asia. One of the earliest examples of human domestication of plants comes from Kuk Swamp, where evidence of banana cultivation has been discovered. The plants are associated with canals and drainage ditches for irrigation, offering a glimpse of early Polynesian expansion, and the types of foods they were carrying with them.
Are there texts, tales, or real-world events that have inspired your work on this piece?
HHH: Nang Tani, or Lady of Tani, is a Thai folklore figure. Part of a pantheon of Nang Mai, or ladies of the woods. Nang Tani is strongly associated with wild banana plants. Some stories present her as a woman who died in the forest and became a ghost. They are seen as protecting of those who may be lost in the forest, but also vengeful towards men who may have harmed women or girls in the community.
As we begin physically devising and rehearsing, what are you curious about exploring?
HHH: I’m so excited to see these fabulous artists and collaborators take these ideas and run with them. The conversations in the room have been fascinating and I can’t wait for audiences to get a glimpse their work.
Without revealing too much, what design elements are you excited for in this room?
HHH: The collision of worlds. The experiment with the other rooms and their storytelling techniques and devices in conversation with one another. I think this will be a very cool experience for audiences.
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Forbidden Fruit runs March 4th - April 1st. Book your tickets here.
~Kai