The Sống Collective Brings COLLECTIVE STORIES To The West Coast 

On August 27, 2021, the inaugural season of Wayward Voices continues with a summer premiere of "Collective Stories." The New York-based company, The Sa?'ng Collective, partners with The Ujima Company along with the California-based organizer and advocate thuan nguyen to create the devised Theatre piece.

The production is rooted in the process of Free Southern Theatre's storytelling circles which brings together individuals to share and create works inspired by memories, personal experiences, and connection via facilitated sharing sessions.

In this iteration, The Sa?'ng Collective and the participating artists explore the relationship and intersectionality of the Vietnamese and Black communities and use Theatre to begin difficult and necessary conversations. "Collective Stories" addresses the anti-Blackness within the Vietnamese community in order to focus on moving the Vietnamese community forward and promote healing between both communities. The production will premiere at 8:00 p.m. (Eastern) / 5:00 p.m. (Pacific) on The Sa?'ng Collective's website.

The Sa?'ng Collective was founded in 2019 by Vietnamese-American Theatre artists Jonathan Castanien, Carolina Đa?-, and David Lee Huynh as a response to the American government's negligent response to the ongoing global refugee crisis. Their work includes staged readings of Qui Nguyen's "Vietgone," Preston Choi's "This Is Not A True Story," collaborations with AsianCineVision, as well as, the first evening of original work created by artists of the Via??t diaspora also entitled "Collective Stories." In their mission to reclaim the Vietnamese narrative, they launched the Via??t Writers Lab to develop and present six new works by Vietnamese playwrights this past June. They have been recognized and celebrated for their work by Theatre Communications Group and have contributed their thoughts on equity and the importance of representation to publications like TIME. They are thankful to be partnering with the Slants Foundation and Ujima Company, Inc. on this project exploring the history and potential of Via??t and Black solidarity in America. Our liberation is not possible without the collective liberation of others. See more at www.thesongcollectivenyc.org.

Director and facilitator thuan nguyen has been involved in community work for over 30 years in different roles, including social worker, advocate, organizer, and consultant. His most recent efforts include multi-racial coalition building, coordinating regional and statewide youth organizing networks, and strengthening progressive/left organizing work in the Via??t community. He has also coordinated organizing trainings and storytelling/filmmaking workshops for youth. With this work under his belt, nguyen says his "most challenging role thus far has been as the parent of 2 young children."

The bi-coastal cast of "Collective Stories" includes artists and creatives from a variety of disciplines. The production features photographer, visual journalist, and activist Cindy Trinh; poet, director, and educator ayla xuân chi sullivan; comedian La??c "Leo" Nguya??n; and actor and writer Zion Pham.

Wayward Voices is a space to amplify, uplift, and empower BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) artists and their communities. The goal is to produce work that inspires and activates artists now and artists to come. The Wayward Artist recognizes that a Wayward Voices season does not and cannot solve the systemic racism that plagues the theater community and beyond but hope that it can serve as a source of empowerment for artists and as a sign of inevitable change in the theatre community from coast to coast. Wayward Voices is a season of art and storytelling, but above all, Wayward Voices is a place to empower, uplift, and amplify the voices of BIPOC artists.

The summer production of "Collective Stories" premiere's on The Sa?'ng Collective's YouTube channel on August 27, 2021 and streams for free on The Wayward Artist's website beginning August 28. For more information about the Wayward Voices initiative and the artists involved, visit https://www.thewaywardartist.org/wayward-voices.

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