we the same is inspired by true events. In 1979 a mother with six young children are separated from their father as they flee Communist Vietnam by boat. They endure pirate attacks, typhoons, shipwreck, starvation and more. Forty years later, the mother finally shares the tale with her daughter.
A multicultural journey through reality, fantasy, and the supernatural utilizing cultural art forms, to heal intergenerational and cultural differences.
Keywords: Refugee, Family, Reconciliation, Immigrant, Vietnam, Vietnamese Boat People, Interdisciplinary, intergenerational trauma
Produced by Ruby Slippers Theatre, Vancouver BC, November 2021
Nominated for 6 Jessie Awards (2021/22), winner of 2
Added to University of Victoria curriculum (TH 310)
Genre: Drama
Acts: 2
Run time: 100 minutes
Content note: Contains language, implied sexual violence
Suitable for students 16+
Cast size: 6 actors
Male roles: 11
Female roles: 12
Other roles: 2
Musician roles: 1
Casting notes: Vietnamese cast, Two Female Roles with remaining cast to play multiple roles
"We the same never sensationalizes the refugee experience but rather humanizes it...The play is awe-inspiring and will be eye-opening to many, most certainly anyone who is unfamiliar with the kind of astonishingly difficult journey the Truongs endured."
- Gail Johnson, Stir
"New play remembers, and gives voice to, the experiences of Vietnamese refugees."
- Vancouver Sun article, written by Shawn Conner
Cover art by Jessica Fortner. Font by Truong Nguyen