Heket is known as the Egyptian goddess of childbirth and was revered as the protector of both pregnant women and the dead. If you were with child, or say, a mummy, you could call on Heket for protection by wearing a talisman or amulet with her image around your neck. Heket is most often portrayed as a woman with a frog head, since, to ancient Egyptians, the frog was a symbol of mortal life, rebirth and resurrection.
In Vanessa Flores’ play, Heket is an angsty, heartsick teen who has run away from home. A description? Well, she’s sort of got the head of a frog. A possible motive for disappearing? Let’s just say not many guys have been swiping right on Heket’s tinder profile, and since most her friends keep getting hit with teenage pregnancies (oops), she’s been a bit lonely lately. But thanks to Heket’s Google search history, her loving parents have some leads on where she might be: anywhere in the world there’s an ancient tomb with a 5,000 year old dead guy.
HEKET by Vanessa Flores
Directed by Nicole Meñez
Staged Reading on October 6, 2017 at the EXIT Theatre
Pamela Drummer-Williams (Mrs. Birch)
Chris Robledo (Mr. Birch)
Dillon Siedentopf (Mummy)
Kitty Torres (Lily)
Vanessa Flores is a playwright, short-story and screenwriter. Her plays have been produced by Double Backbone Theater, SF Playground, and Aluminous. This is her first time writing for the SF Olympians Festival.
The image of Heket was created by Molly Benson.