Prismatic is thrilled to present the Nova Scotian premiere of Clyde A. Wray’s play, We Were Here. Written and directed by Clyde during his time as their artist-in-residence, We Were Here is produced by Saint John Theatre Company.

“We Were Here tells the stories of eight forgotten Saint Johners. These persons of colour who came to or were born in Saint John accomplished much under severe circumstances of that time. Circumstances that were more devilish and acrimonious than those persons deserved.

These are their stories of great hardship, success, and tolerance in the face of knowing you weren’t supposed to succeed, much less be seen. These are their stories of fortitude, courage, and perseverance and it took double the amount of courage being a woman and a woman of colour.

Runaway slaves chased by slave hunters, being told by actions that you were less-than, that you could only use the backdoor to enter. A lawyer who wasn’t given just the simple dignity of his office by his peers who generally ostracized him. A man who spent forty years as a slave and yet showed loyalty and still had enough reserve and inner spirit to want to make life better for his kinsmen and other runaway slaves.

The stories within this live docudrama have been unearthed and have shown us that even in the worst of circumstances, giving up shouldn’t be an option laid out on the table – no matter how minuscule, that dwarfed effort is mighty.”

– Clyde A. Wray

*co-production of Saint John Theatre Company & Atlantic Repertory Company

*thanks to Drew Murdock, Stephen Tobias, and Saint John Theatre Company for providing original film footage

Clyde A. Wray
We Were Here

Friday, October 8th | 7PM

Saturday, October 9th | 7PM

Sunday, October 10th | 2PM

Neptune Theatre Scotiabank Stage

Regular $30 | Pay What You Can $5, $10, $15, $20, $25 options

Originally from New York City and a resident of Saint John, New Brunswick for just over fourteen years, Clyde A. Wray is a prolific writer, director, poet, and playwright. His works have been performed in New York City, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Denmark, Saint John, and Halifax. He is the author of poetry books, including ‘Cause Everybody Ain’t a Hero, Unswayed She Came: 101 Love Sonnets, and Bridges We Can Walk Across.

Clyde says that while you might be under the misguided belief that he has been cloistered with all of this writing most of his adult life, nothing could be further from the truth. If you catch up with him, he might tell you that he’s taken the scenic route to get here, having worked as an emergency medical technician, on a commercial shrimper on a shrimp boat, for the New York State with Narcotic Addiction and the Division for Youth, and as a sanitation engineer – hauling stuff up and throwing it in the back of the truck, as he likes to say. He’s done construction, digging a hole for a sump pump when he didn’t know what a sump pump was. He’ll tell you that his list goes on.

He attended Texas Southmost College, Marist College, and American University, and is a graduate of the U.S. Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy. He spent six years in the service of his country and two of those years in Vietnam. He likes to think he brings just a little life experience to his work.

Married with four daughters and one son, Clyde likes to think it has been a journey of surprises and is never sure what’s around the next corner.

We were here we came by boat from

the English Commonwealth

we came along the dark footpaths

from the United States

we came by wagon wheel.

we were here long before some of your

ancestors

we came frightened but strong willed

we came hugging survival to our chest

we came in the moonlight the sunlight wasn’t

the best of a friend

we came baring our burlap sacks of hope

we came running from the whip lashes of degradation

we came to Saint John to find the pillars of freedom

we came and built and became part of the City

which you’ve forgotten

but yes indeed We Were Here!

Clyde A. Wray

December 31, 2020

Clyde A. Wray We Were Here

Clyde A. Wray
We Were Here