Same Same Different is an original and affecting new verbatim play about adoption, identity and belonging that gives adoptees from all over the world the chance to share their adoption story in their own words.
Inspired by writer Naomi Sumner Chan’s own experience of being adopted from Hong Kong into a White British family, the play invites the audience to join Naomi in exploring her personal and cultural identity.
She connects with many other adopted families and individuals, whom we meet along the way, with a diverse ensemble of actors presenting the many different voices, identities and experiences that Naomi encounters.
“As a Trans-racial adoptee myself, I wanted to create a piece of work that prioritised the adoptee voice and put that front and centre,” explains Naomi Sumner Chan.
“Often adoption narratives are Adoptive Parent centric and focus on the parent’s story or the process of adoption. This play is different as it provides adopted children and adults the opportunity to tell their own stories in their own words.”
By focusing on what adoptees perceive as the similarities and differences between themselves and their family members, Naomi asks: does nature or nurture most influence a person’s identity? A question that ultimately leads her back to her own sense of self and where she feels she belongs.
Same Same Difference is at York Theatre Royal Studio from 26th to 27th April at 7.45pm. Tickets cost £10. Book online at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk or call the Box office 01904 623 568.
