A Brief History of Mah Jongg

The power of good friends!

Faye Sholiton
40 minute comedy
5-6 women

More than a game, Mah Jongg is a tradition that builds community. Every week, four women came together to escape from reality, find support, and have fun. After years of a hiatus, they reunite with their Mah Jongg tiles. Only this time, they’re missing one of their players and one of their tiles.

A Brief History of Mah Jongg is an award-winning comedy about how a weekly game becomes a powerful foundation the friendship of four women. At the same time, the play opens the door to deeper conversations about race, culture, and what it means to be an American.

Click here for a FreeView

The Rich History of Mah Jongg. For more reading on the history of Mah Jongg in America, consider these resources:

• Heinze, Annelise. Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture. Oxford University Press. 2021
• Click here for an article appearing in The American Historical Review: Annelise Heinz, “Maid’s Day Off”: Leisured Domesticity in the Mid-Twentieth-Century United States, The American Historical Review, Volume 124, Issue 4, October 2019, Pages 1316–1331.

Awards for “A Brief History of Mah Jongg”

• The show was commissioned by the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Cleveland to accompany the Project Mah Jongg exhibit.
• Named Audience Favorite at the InkFest Festival in Los Angeles.
• Winner of the Chameleon Theatre Circle contest in Minnesota.
• Performed to rave reviews in Cleveland, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Los Angeles, and others.

The play is funny, touching, and a great piece for older actresses. Audience Participant, D.P.

This play has such depth, insight, and meaning for so many people. The audience reacted with strong connection to the beautifully developed characters and to the lovely story. What a magnificent success! Audience Participant, E. R.

Photo by Daniel Silwa