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A Train Unloads its Sorrows by b Dang
Cost

Free

Venue

Playwrights’ Center, 710 Raymond Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55114

Date/time

In-person January 15 at 7:00 p.m. CST

About the play

In Providence, Rhode Island, the East Side Railroad Tunnel was constructed and opened in 1908 by the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad, cutting through town and bypassing the one, great hill. Fast forward to today: the railroads are cemented over, the tunnel is unused…except by the occasional spirit resting uneasy in the darkness. Part documentary/archival project, part labor history, part ghost story, part ambient/noise bath, this piece swirls together the aesthetics, forms, and histories of the region into the blaring horn of a train that once held us.

From b

To enter the abandoned train tunnel in Providence, you have to traverse a strange pool of standing water. A single doorframe in a corrugated metal wall separates the outside world from the underground. It’s covered in graffiti, which reminds you that other people have been here too, so it’s probably okay. When you finally climb through, some light spills in illuminating your close surroundings. But, the cavernous body stretches far beyond your vision or any flashlight. It dares you to enter. That’s the feeling I’m after with this play, really.

Making your reservation

This is an free, in-person, ticketed event at Playwrights’ Center on January 15.

Please use the sign up link below to reserve your spot in advance.

If you have any questions about making your reservation, please email us at rsvp@pwcenter.org.

When to arrive

All seating is general admission. We recommend arriving 10-15 minutes prior to the reading to check in and find your seat. Please note, free parking is limited around the Center.

Visit our About page to learn more about parking and accessibility.

Large groups

If you are making a reservation for more than eight people, please email rsvp@pwcenter.org to arrange. If you make a reservation for more than eight, a member of our team may be in touch closer to the reading date to confirm final numbers for your group.

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b Dang

The playwright
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based inProvidence, RI
Brian Dang (they/she), or simply “b,” is a Vietnamese/Chinese poet/playwright and teaching artist based in Providence, RI by way of Seattle, WA. Her plays are a mixture of devised and scripted elements, often about the political domestic. For Brian, writing is an act of envisioning an eventual communing and an opportunity to be common. Brian was a proud resident playwright at Parley (Seattle), a 2021 Tennessee Williams Scholar at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and 2023 Lambda Fellow. Her plays include Grandmother/Bathtub (Theater Mu New Eyes Festival, Yale Cabaret, O’Neill Finalist ’25, Sparkfest Finalist ‘24) and This time (Undermain Fund for New Work, O’Neill Finalist ‘22, Many Voices Fellowship Semi-Finalist ‘22) and their poetry work includes 49 words I wish I could write in my family’s language, a collaborative translation project. They are currently a 2025-26 Core Apprentice at the Playwrights’ Center. They really like bread. MFA: Brown University. Website: brianeatswords.com