Press

Thursday, June 05, 2008

In the Wings:  Border Issues Come Into Play

By Orla Swift

The border of the United States and Mexico is as dramatic a setting as you could ask for in a timely stage drama, particularly as our presidential contenders debate (or ought to be debating) immigration issues.

So Justice Theater Project artistic director Deb Royals-Mizerk knew "The Line in the Sand: Stories from the U.S./Mexico Border" would make a compelling season closer.

Written by a group of actors and writers from Catholic Relief Services, the play uses a documentary format to illuminate arguments on both sides of the border-control debate—much like “The Laramie Project” did with the murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard.

But reading “The Line in the Sand” was one thing. Going to the border was something else, says Royals-Mizerk, who recently went to the Mexican town of Nogales and other border sites as part of a course offered by Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies.

“It was intense,” says Royals-Mizerk, who performs in the play.

“I was blown away by the reality of what’s going on,” she says of the complex tangle of poverty, abuse and corruption. “There’s nothing that can prepare you for that. ... At one point, I just stood there and was like, ‘This is insurmountable. What do you do?’”

Royals-Mizerk hopes “A Line in the Sand,” as well as a related “Border Wall Project” art exhibit and post-show discussions with guest speakers, will inspire audiences to consider solutions.

The show opens at 8 p.m. Friday and runs through June 15 at Raleigh’s Cardinal Gibbons High School. Tickets are $15; $12 students and seniors; pay what you can on Sunday. For information, call 272-1551 or go to http://www.justicetheaterproject.org.

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