Orphan evacuated from Vietnam in 1975. 'babylift' . Searches for birth mother 48 years after the fall of Saigon. Interview by Thanh Truong. Click to listen

Children of the Vietnam War

Born overseas to Vietnamese mothers and U.S. servicemen, Amerasians brought hard-won resilience to their lives in America.  By David Lamb

"Angola 3" to make debut at Carver Theater

By Fritz Esker
Contributing Write

The new stage play “Angola 3” will have a four-night run at the historic Carver Theater on October 20, 21st, 27th and 28th, 2023

“Angola 3,” written by Parnell Herbert and directed by Saran Bynum, tells the story of Robert King, Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace. The play was produced by Poetic Panther Productions and 5th Dimension Studioz. King, Woodfox, and Wallace were prisoners at Angola (aka Louisiana State Penitentiary) and received worldwide attention for spending decades in solitary confinement at the prison.

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Herbert approached Bynum about directing the play because he had seen and admired her films. He also felt the all-male story would benefit from a female perspective. Bynum said it was an honor for her to tell the stories of these three wrongfully convicted men and the decades they spent in solitary confinement.

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Bynum was familiar with the basic story of the Angola 3, having grown up in New Orleans. She had also visited the infamous prison as part of a ministry program. “For me, to circle back and do a story on the most prominent three inmates in Angola just touched my heart because of the unfairness these three men went through,” said Bynum.

Turning the story of three men who were trapped in solitary confinement for so long into a stage play proved to be a daunting but rewarding task for Bynum. To prepare for the roles, the actors met with King and other formerly incarcerated people to discuss their experiences.

“It’s very challenging. We had to tear off the layers (of the actors’ natural personalities) and make the actors feel raw, like the inmates at Angola must have felt,” Bynum said.

Larry DE McGehee will play the role of King, Jay Dorsey will play Woodfox, and Justin Williams-Davis will play Wallace. The play will be sponsored by VOTE: Voices of the Experienced, a grassroots organization run by formerly incarcerated people that helps protect the rights of the formerly incarcerated.

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Filmmaker, Saran Bynum films her first feature film.  Loosely based her search for her biological father.  Click to read. 

Young filmmaker turning story of adoption from Vietnam into drama, filmed in New Orleans. 

• BY KATY RECKDAH

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