Buried Ruins

The Vietnamese Boat People

Buried Ruins is a play written by Vietnamese American actor and playwright, Carolina Đỗ . It started out as a series of interviews that Carolina did with her parents, over the course of almost nine years, and turned into a personal writing project about memory and wishful dreams. The play is centered around a series of torturously absurd family dinners interrupted by glitches of memories of the past. It is a reflection of Carolina’s own experiences about Vietnamese parents and daughters trying to get through to one another despite generational trauma and the force of cultural assimilation. The play premiered in a staged reading in New York City with an all Vietnamese team, both onstage and backstage. This episode features discussions with Carolina, "Buried Ruins" director Cara Hinh, and actor Bi Jean Ngo. The conversation delves into the making of "Buried Ruins", the process of learning about one's parents, and what it’s like to be Vietnamese American in the theater industry.

Note: This episode contains some adult language that may not be appropriate for all ages.

Episode Credits:
Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyễn Mang
Associate Producer: Saoli Nguyễn
VBP theme music: Clarity, Paulina Vo
Other music: A Certain Shade of Blue: Paper Twins, Inside Clarity: Synthetic Tides