ABOUT

SAME DIFFERENCE

WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY DON MAYS

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Providence, 1993. A gang leader from Harlem arrives at his ex-girlfriend's apartment in the middle of the night — wounded, on the run, with nowhere else to go. What he doesn't know is that her roommate is gay, grieving, and not about to back down. Set against the twin epidemics of AIDS and drug violence, Don Mays's world premiere is a funny, fierce, and deeply human play about two men the world treated as disposable, who are certain they have nothing in common, and the woman standing between them who can see exactly who they both are.

This world premiere production of SAME DIFFERENCE is made possible with generous support from Peter Neivert, in honor of Arthur Richter and the Wilbury Theatre Group’s continued commitment to the development and presentation of new work.

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NEWS & MEDIA

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"Wilbury Theatre Group kicks off the new season with the world premiere of “Same Difference,” a gritty, unsettling, profound, entertaining drama about the troubled lives of a group of twentysomethings trying to get along, make ends meet, and most importantly, survive... I grew to care about the characters and their stories certainly kept me engaged. “Same Difference” is daring albeit bleak, thought-provoking, and worthy of lengthy examination and discussion."
- Broadway World

"JāQuan Malik Jones, Rosalyn Tavarez, Alex LeBlanc, Carlin Fournier, Henry Nwaru, and Noah Martinez form an ensemble where every performance is essential. Each actor brings a distinct energy, a different reality, depth and dimension to their role, and together they create the convergence the play depends on. No one shines more than another, the brilliance is in their collective light."
- The Providence Eye

"'Same Difference' doesn’t attempt to sugar coat things. This was a brutal time to be part of a marginalized population, and unfortunately for many, it still is. But in the midst of tragedy, you still have to get out of bed and live your life, and that’s what our characters do, until they can’t anymore. Wilbury prides itself on giving new work a platform, and they’ve got something good here. “Same Difference” has a strong heart, achingly human characters and a powerful message, and is well worth your support."
- WPRO

"Wilbury has built its reputation on giving adventurous new work a room in which to breathe, and Mays’ play arrives with an especially provocative question: What happens when people who believe they have absolutely nothing in common are forced to confront how much they share?... Ultimately, Same Difference appears to ask a deceptively simple question: How different are we, really, when fear, loss, love and survival strip away the labels we use to separate ourselves? For Wilbury, it is an appropriately bold way to begin a season devoted to premieres—and a reminder that sometimes the most radical theatrical act is simply allowing people to see one another clearly."
- Cranston Herald / Warwick Beacon

"'Same Difference' from local playwright Don Mays is set in Providence in 1993 with the twin epidemics of AIDS and drug violence as the background. A gang leader from Harlem arrives at his ex-girlfriend’s apartment in the middle of the night — wounded, on the run, with nowhere else to go. What he doesn’t know is that her roommate is gay, grieving and not about to back down.
- Ocean State Media

"I believe the plays that Wilbury chooses are plays that no other theatre in Rhode Island would produce. The plays that I author, I believe would have no other home in Rhode Island. It’s right in Wilbury’s mission, that “fearless vision.” I believe the work I create makes bold, self-reflective statements about culture, current societal norms and ills, and ultimately, the good, the bad and the ugly of what we as a people stand for."
- GoProvidence interview w/ Don Mays

"Steeped in drama and infused with comedy, the story follows a Black gang leader who flees Harlem for Rhode Island, where he moves into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment. There, he meets her roommate, a white drag queen, and the pair connects despite their different backgrounds.  In dealing with themes of drug violence and AIDS in the same production, SAME DIFFERENCE hopes to bring 'untold stories to the stage'"
- The Brown Daily Herald

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CAST + CREATIVE TEAM

JāQuan
Malik Jones

Carlin
Fournier

Rosalyn
Tavarez*

Henry
Nwaru

Alex
LeBlanc

Noah
Martinez

SAME DIFFERENCE
Written & Directed by Don Mays

Set Design by Jason Sall
Light + Sound Design by Andy Russ
Costume Design by ​Dustin Thomas
Fight & Intimacy Direction by Brien Lang
Production Management by Monica Shinn
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Stage Manager, Natalie Rosario*
Asst. Stage Manager, Ollie Crowe
Costume Assistant, Arianna Davey

​Production Photos by Erin X. Smithers
​Press / Media Inquiries: Niki Healy

​*Appears courtesy Actors' Equity Association, ​the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Don Mays is a playwright, filmmaker, director and photographer. With Wilbury Theatre Group, he has directed productions of The Comeuppance, Fat Ham, Silhouette of a Silhouette, Miss You Like Hell, Hype Man and the Webby Award-winning series God Talks to an Agnostic, which aired on Ocean State Media. Mays is a classically trained actor/director who studied at the National Shakespeare Conservatory, NYC. He's the founder of AFRI Film Productions, which produced the feature film, Same Difference. He also produced The Come to Jesus, a short film based on God Talks to an Agnostic.
Mays' directing credits include work at such theaters as the Providence Black Repertory Company, Wilbury Theatre Group, Brown University, University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College, Wheaton College, and Bristol Community College. In recognition of the fifth-year anniversary of the George Floyd murder, Mays recently curated a provocative photo exhibition at the WaterFire Art Center Gallery, entitled Mays Boyz Makin Noize, (a Father and Sons Exhibition). The exhibition included over eighty photographs with contributions from his sons, Zachary and Nicolas.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT THE

2026/27 SEASON

Learn more about the 2026/27 Season at Providence's home for groundbreaking artists and adventurous audiences! The World Premiere of Same Difference by Don Mays, Regional Premieres of Seagulls by Beth Hyland and Teeth with book/music by Anna K. Jacobs and book/lyrics by Michael R. Jackson, and the professional Rhode Island premieres of Grand Horizons by Tony Award winner Bess Wohl and The Antipodes by Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Baker.

2026/27 Season

ABOUT

An award-winning, not-for-profit professional theatre company, the Wilbury Theatre Group engages our community in thought-provoking conversation through new works, reimagined classics and adventurous playmaking. We are idealistic, ambitious, and stubborn in our resolve to create theatre that entertains, enlightens, and inspires.

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