Inside Out & Back Again

Based on the National Book Award-winning novel by Thanhha Lai
Stage Adaptation by Min Kahng

World Premiere at Bay Area Children's Theatre
March 31-May 27, 2018
CLICK HERE for Tickets

Ten-year-old Hà and her family flee from Vietnam to Alabama, where she dreams of her beloved papaya tree and struggles to adjust in a strange new land. Thanhha Lai's award-winning book of poetry comes to life in this on-stage retelling of a young girl and her family's journey to find a new home.

For my adaptation, I am only using Lai's original poetic text as the dialogue (save for a few verb tense or pronoun changes) in a sort of playwright-as-arranger role. In a time when asylum-seekers are portrayed as unwanted pests, Hà's journey helps put a human face to the label "refugee." By looking at a story from our past, I hope Bay Area young audiences and their families will be able to gain insight and understanding for those facing similar hardships today.

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DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

Dec 2017, Staged Reading: Bay Area Children's Theatre in Berkeley, CA
Aug 2017, Developmental Reading: Bay Area Children's Theatre in Berkeley, CA