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Grains of Hope:  Refugee Life in Michigan
by Stephanie Sandberg

Congolese refugees
Iraqi refugees
Factory assembly line work
Sudan
Bhutan
Healthcare
The UNHCR
Learning English
Multimedia storytelling

This verbatim docudrama was made by myself in collaboration with students in a course on ethnography and applied theatre.  We interviewed one hundred and fifty refugees who had resettled in Michigan between 2005 and 2012  about their lives, what they experience and how we might improve the way Americans help refugees integrate into culture and society.  This was an advocacy piece created with the help of grants from local refugee agencies. This production toured to over twenty venues and was seen by more than 3000 people.

 

Scenic Design by David Leugs

Lighting Design by Steve Haase

Costume Design by Amanda Ytzen

Photography by David Leugs

In this series of short 1-2 minute interviews, I describe the five part process of making a piece of verbatim docudrama, rooted in ethnographic research.

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