Theater for the New City, Crystal Field (Artistic Director) presents:

This memory doesn’t taste like a Birthday cake

A solo show about the growing experience of kids with parental incarceration

A NEW SOLO PLAY

Written & Directed by Andi Cui

Cast Athena Yin

presented as part of the Dream Up Festival

155 1st Ave (between 9th and 10th)
New York, NY

Festival runs Aug 23rd - Sept 13th

“What does memory taste like?”

Having never celebrated a birthday, L is throwing her dream 28th—

and you’re invited, woohoo!

Through a menu of childhood dishes and a long-awaited cake, she cooks up the story of growing up with incarcerated parents, serving memories one bite at a time.

Ticket links:

A journey through the storm of memory

“The play immediately invites you in with warmth, and for a window of time the audience are all guests that become friends with a stranger.”

“…Beautifully intertwines food, sensory memory and storytelling, and explores what it means to build a sense of home after loss.”

“Transports me to the complexity of a parent-child relationship when entering the stages of adulthood. I should call my mom soon.”

audience review

Photo Gallary

This Memory doesn’t Taste like a Birthday Cake

Work-in-progress show at Performance Lab, Sarah Lawrence College. Jun. 12, 2026

Featuring Athena Yin; Photography by Ci Song