THE SHOW: Sen. Russell Pearce “accidentally” electrocutes himself in his bathtub, while shaving, then cuts a deal with the devil (or is that redundant) to survive and sets off to stop the Hernandez family (even though Reagan gave them amnesty) from reaching Phoenix, where the Hernandez’s, who having learned of the birth of the Messiah (no, not Barack Obama), plan to catch the light rail to Bethlehem.

Performances: Dec. 4-19

Dec. 4, Opening night, 7:30 performance

Dec. 5, Matinee, 2 p.m. performance

Dec. 9, 7:30 performance

Dec. 10, 7:30 performance

Dec. 11, 2 p.m. and 7:30 performances

Dec. 12, 2 p.m. performance

Dec. 16, 7:30 performance

Dec. 17, 7:30 performance

Dec. 18, 2 p.m. and 7:30 performances

Dec. 19, 2 p.m. performance

Location: Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center, 147 E. Adams

Admission: $12.50 each. $11.00 students, seniors and groups of 6 or more. Children under 12, $8 per ticket.

Visit www.newcarpa.org to purchase tickets. Discount tickets available at http://www.showuptickets.com/details.asp?eventId=440981451.

You may also purchase tickets at the door.

Reservations at 623-252-2772 or emailing info@newcarpa.org.

Directed by Arturo Martinez (English format)

“Dream Act” tells the story of undocumented student Victoria Nava, brought to the United States by her parents as a toddler. In the face of anti-immigrant sentiment, she feels her dreams of medical school may be slipping away.

Performance will be followed by a short talkback with the playwright and experts on The DREAM Act, a proposed federal law that would provide a path to citizenship for the more than 60,000 undocumented youth who graduate from high school in the United States each year.

Show runs ONE NIGHT ONLY – Feburary 3, 2010 at 7:15pm.

For this production, only the English-format version will be performed.

NOTE: The original address posted for this event was incorrect.  The correct address is listed below.

Location
Catalina Elementary School
6331 N 39th, Phoenix [ Map ]

This performance is FREE!

Join us on Facebook.  Attend our Facebook event.

History of the theater show “Dream Act”

James E. Garcia’s “Dream Act” had its world premiere April 11, 2008 at Playhouse on the Park in Phoenix, Arizona.  The show was incredibly well received and reviewed.  At the time of the original production, our web site was not being managed by a content management system, and unfortunately much of our media history was lost.  Existing media reviews may be found below in the “Dream Act” in the Media section.

The narrative of “Dream Act” was inspired by the March 21, 2008 episode of Chicago Public Radio program This American Life.  In Act Four (at approximate run time 46:35), reporter Douglas McGray interviews a college student in California.  Quoting the This American Life web site: “Reporter Douglas McGray interviews a college student in California with good grades, an excellent work ethic, but no possible way to get a legal job. She’s lived in the U.S. since she was little, but her parents are undocumented; and she is, too. Most of her friends and teachers don’t even know. Douglas McGray is a fellow at the New America Foundation.”

McGray went on to explain, “You might also be interested in a much longer piece I wrote about Martha and a couple other students; I wrote the radio feature for ‘This American Life’ as a follow up, and an experiment in telling a story across different media.  The print piece, a cover story for the LA Times sunday magazine, got a lot of attention when it came out.”

Additional excerpts from “Dream Act” were performed by the original cast in April and May 2008 at several venues across the Phoenix-metro area, including The Community Advocacy Symposium in downtown Phoenix.

Shortly after the play closed, there was such demand that the original cast was brought back together on May 3, 2008 at La Buena Onda Radio Studio in Phoenix to record a full-length radio play of the production (in both English and Spanish versions).  Charles Dee Rice, the show’s original audio designer, mixed the radio performances with a combination of original sound effects and a handful of new musical selections (to satisfy royalty and licensing restrictions), producing full length radio shows for broadcast in both English and Spanish.

The Spanish-language radio play aired June 26, 2008 on KNUV 1190AM in Phoenix as part of of an Arizona Dream Fund scholarship fundraiser / radioathon.

In July, 2008, The Center for Community Development and Civil Rights funded a full video recording/production of “Dream Act,” using the original theatrical cast.

Continued interest in the live performances and the issues surrounding DREAM Act legislation have brought the show back into the public eye again — this time for another full stage performance in January, 2010.

Note: If you are associated with a radio station interested in broadcasting either version of the “Dream Act” radio play, please contact us.

“Dream Act” in the Media

Saturday, January 16 at 8:50am
Dream Act will be featured (including promotional photos) on the showup.com segment of Good Morning Arizona
KTVK 3TV – Cox channel 3, Mediacom channel 3

Play Highlights the Plight of Undocumented College-Hopefuls
by Alison Miller, College Times

2008 Theater Performance Review:
James Garcia’s Dream Act Puts the Spotlight on the Obstacles Immigrant Children Face in the Fight for Citizenship
by Marcos Najera, Phoenix New Times

2008 Theater Performance Review:
Sueños en Acción
English Translation via Google translate: Dreams In Motion
by Eduardo Bernal, La Voz / AZ Central

2008 Theater Performance Review:
Member Reviews
showup.com (Ticket vendor)

The DREAM Act Legislation

There are many resources available online to research The DREAM Act.  What follows is not meant to be a comprehensive or exhaustive reference, but may provide a good starting point for additional research on this issue:

Dream Activist – Undocumented Students Action and Resource Network
DREAM Act Portal
DREAM Act – defined (wikipedia)
Act On A Dream Rally

Related News

Return to Sender: The Feds, Fueled by Local Anti-Immigration Hostility, Are Draining Talented Undocumented Youth Into Mexico
by Malia Politzer, Phoenix New Times

Trail of Dreams: Undocumented Students March from Miami to DC
by Juliana Schnur, Sojourners

Image provided by Arizona Women's Theatre Company

Written by Julie Amparano

Directed by Pamela Sterling

Presented by Arizona Women’s Theatre Company & New Carpa Theatre Company

You think your family is crazy…  What about Mary’s?  Her husband Miguel sees no reason for staying sober; her daughter Rachel is a muppie (Mexican-American yuppie) doctor who can’t be in the same room with her sister Annette, a super-Chicana channeling Frida Kahlo; and son Mike is worried whether coming out of the closet will kill his mother outright.  All Mary wants is for everyone to get along…  so she can join the family of ghosts in the living room.

“A Mother’s Will” was nominated for AriZoni Award Best Original Script in 2007 and was a Pandora Festival of New Plays Selection in 2009. 

Show runs March 5-14, 2010 (Total of six performances)
Playhouse on the Park, 1850 N. Central Ave.  [ Map ]
(In the Viad Bldg. at Palm and Central Ave.)
Free parking — Just off the Phoenix Light Rail line. 

Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30pm
Sundays at 2pm 

Tickets on sale at the Phoenix Theatre online ticketing center.
General Admission – $18  ($12 for students with valid ID).
A limited number of discounted tickets are available at showup.com.

Join us on Facebook.  Attend our Facebook event.

Directed by Arturo Martinez (English format) and Luis Avila (Spanish format)

“Dream Act” tells the story of undocumented student Victoria Nava, brought to the United States by her parents as a toddler. In the face of anti-immigrant sentiment, she feels her dreams of medical school may be slipping away.

Each performance will be followed by a short talkback with the playwright and experts on The DREAM Act, a proposed federal law that would provide a path to citizenship for the more than 60,000 undocumented youth who graduate from high school in the United States each year.

Show runs January 15-17, 2010.

This show is being presented in both English- and Spanish-language formats.

Locations
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix (UUCP)
4027 E Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley [ Map ]

First Congregational United Church of Christ
1407 N 2nd St, Phoenix [ Map ]

English-Language Performances
- Friday, January 15 at 8 p.m. – Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix
- Saturday, January 16 at 2 p.m. – First Congregational United Church of Christ
- Sunday, January 17 at 2 p.m. – Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix

Spanish-Language Performances
- Saturday, January 16 at 8 p.m. – First Congregational United Church of Christ
- Sunday, January 17 at 8 p.m. – First Congregational United Church of Christ

Seating is general admission, tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for children 12 and under. A limited number of discounted tickets available at showup.com.

Join us on Facebook.  Attend our Facebook event.

History of the theater show “Dream Act”

James E. Garcia’s “Dream Act” had its world premiere April 11, 2008 at Playhouse on the Park in Phoenix, Arizona.  The show was incredibly well received and reviewed.  At the time of the original production, our web site was not being managed by a content management system, and unfortunately much of our media history was lost.  Existing media reviews may be found below in the “Dream Act” in the Media section.

The narrative of “Dream Act” was inspired by the March 21, 2008 episode of Chicago Public Radio program This American Life.  In Act Four (at approximate run time 46:35), reporter Douglas McGray interviews a college student in California.  Quoting the This American Life web site: “Reporter Douglas McGray interviews a college student in California with good grades, an excellent work ethic, but no possible way to get a legal job. She’s lived in the U.S. since she was little, but her parents are undocumented; and she is, too. Most of her friends and teachers don’t even know. Douglas McGray is a fellow at the New America Foundation.”

McGray went on to explain, “You might also be interested in a much longer piece I wrote about Martha and a couple other students; I wrote the radio feature for ‘This American Life’ as a follow up, and an experiment in telling a story across different media.  The print piece, a cover story for the LA Times sunday magazine, got a lot of attention when it came out.”

Additional excerpts from “Dream Act” were performed by the original cast in April and May 2008 at several venues across the Phoenix-metro area, including The Community Advocacy Symposium in downtown Phoenix.

Shortly after the play closed, there was such demand that the original cast was brought back together on May 3, 2008 at La Buena Onda Radio Studio in Phoenix to record a full-length radio play of the production (in both English and Spanish versions).  Charles Dee Rice, the show’s original audio designer, mixed the radio performances with a combination of original sound effects and a handful of new musical selections (to satisfy royalty and licensing restrictions), producing full length radio shows for broadcast in both English and Spanish.

The Spanish-language radio play aired June 26, 2008 on KNUV 1190AM in Phoenix as part of of an Arizona Dream Fund scholarship fundraiser / radioathon.

In July, 2008, The Center for Community Development and Civil Rights funded a full video recording/production of “Dream Act,” using the original theatrical cast.

Continued interest in the live performances and the issues surrounding DREAM Act legislation have brought the show back into the public eye again — this time for another full stage performance in January, 2010.

Note: If you are associated with a radio station interested in broadcasting either version of the “Dream Act” radio play, please contact us.

“Dream Act” in the Media

Saturday, January 16 at 8:50am
Dream Act will be featured (including promotional photos) on the showup.com segment of Good Morning Arizona
KTVK 3TV – Cox channel 3, Mediacom channel 3

Play Highlights the Plight of Undocumented College-Hopefuls
by Alison Miller, College Times

2008 Theater Performance Review:
James Garcia’s Dream Act Puts the Spotlight on the Obstacles Immigrant Children Face in the Fight for Citizenship
by Marcos Najera, Phoenix New Times

2008 Theater Performance Review:
Sueños en Acción
English Translation via Google translate: Dreams In Motion
by Eduardo Bernal, La Voz / AZ Central

2008 Theater Performance Review:
Member Reviews
showup.com (Ticket vendor)

The DREAM Act Legislation

There are many resources available online to research The DREAM Act.  What follows is not meant to be a comprehensive or exhaustive reference, but may provide a good starting point for additional research on this issue:

Dream Activist – Undocumented Students Action and Resource Network
DREAM Act Portal
DREAM Act – defined (wikipedia)
Act On A Dream Rally

Related News

Return to Sender: The Feds, Fueled by Local Anti-Immigration Hostility, Are Draining Talented Undocumented Youth Into Mexico
by Malia Politzer, Phoenix New Times

Trail of Dreams: Undocumented Students March from Miami to DC
by Juliana Schnur, Sojourners

Premiers Dec. 4-13, 2009

• Tickets for this show will be available at the door for $16, general admission, $12 for all students with i.d. and $8 for children 12 and under.
• A limited number of advanced discounted tickets may be purchased here.
• Tickets are $12 for groups of 8 or more in advance or at the door. We recommend you make reservations in advance.
• Group rates available by contacting us at info@newcarpa.org or 623-25-CARPA (623-252-2772).
• American Pastorela: The Saga of Sheriff Joe will be presented at 1202 N. Third Street (two blocks south of Interstate 10 at the corner of Moreland and Third Street near downtown Phoenix) .  [ Map ]
• Showtimes December 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m. and December 6, 12 and 13 at 2 p.m.
• Facebookers, RSVP our facebook event!

About The Show

Sheriff Joe has a heart attack and dies. Turns out his personal physician is the same guy who was “treating” Michael Jackson before the pop star’s early demise. Satan offers to cut Joe a deal — his life in exchange for stopping the Hernandez family from making their annual trek by foot from Sonora to Phoenix to catch the light rail to Bethlehem (it also stops in Vegas now). Comedy ensues. Show intended for general audiences.

Note to Sheriff Joe: Please don’t beat me up for writing this play. – JG

American Pastorela: The Saga of Sheriff Joe In the Press

Sheriff Joe’s Tortured in Hades, and Will Arizona’s New U.S. Attorney Follow El Diablo’s Lead?
by Stephen Lemons, Phoenix New Times

The Sheriff Joe Saga Invades Downtown Theater
by Deona Smith, Downtown Phoenix Journal

El Diablo Made Him Do It
by Laura Hahnefeld, Phoenix New Times

The Saga of Sheriff Joe
by Ryn Gargulinski, Tuscon Citizen

Play Starring The Sheriff
by Kristen Keogh, Cronkite News Watch

Por Amor/For Love

An Operachi in One Act
at The Chandler Hispanic Heritage Festival

(One night only – Sept.19)

(select flyer above for larger view)

Saturday, September 19 – 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Downtown Chandler – AJ Chandler Park (West of Arizona Avenue) [ Map ]

Featuring a FREE performance of Por Amor by James E. Garcia

Also featuring Mariachi Music, Opendance and Flamenco del Sol Dancers.

For more information, contact info@xicoinc.com

480-833-5875 / 480-782-2214 / www.xicoinc.com

The Hispanic Heritage Committee at Arizona State University presents

A Boy Named Cesar

Cesar Chavez

A one-act play written by James E. Garcia and Julie Amparano

Directed by Terry Earp

September 15, 2009

Reception at 6:00pm In La Sala

Performance at 7:00pm Second Stage West

Arizona State University, 4701 W. Thunderbird Road , Phoenix , AZ [ Map ]

About the show: The nation is mired in the Great Depression and 10-year-old Cesar Chavez
and his family have learned they’re being evicted from their Yuma farm. In the days before
they depart, Cesar goes to fetch water from the backyard well when the ghost of his grandfather
reveal the promise of his future as one of the nation’s great civil rights leaders.

Reception and Performance are free to students, faculty and the community. The performance will last approximately one hour.

Donation to the Non-perishable Food Drive requested.

Illustration by Yuyi Morales

“The Tears of Lives”

A new play by James E. Garcia

directed by Luis Avila

This show has been held over for an additional weekend — August 21-23
Don’t miss it!

A world premiere production

This show is appropriate for general audiences.

When: Aug. 14-16, 2009 (Evening performances Fri., Sat. &
Sun. at 7:30. Matinees on Sat. and Sun. at 2:30 p.m.)
Held over an additional weekend:
Aug. 21-23, 2009  (Friday and Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. &
Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m.)

Where: Playhouse on the Park, 1850 N. Central Ave.  [ See Map ]
(In the Viad Bldg. at Palm and Central Ave.) Free parking.

Information at 602-460-1374 or by emailing info@centromacehualli.org.

Buy Tickets Here!

This show is produced by New Carpa Theater Co. (newcarpa.org) as a special fund-raiser for the Macehualli Capital Campaign organized by the Tonatierra Community Development Institute to preserve and develop the Macehualli Community Campus Facility in Phoenix

Tickets $20 general admission and $10 for students. (You also may donate as much as you wish.)
To buy tickets for these performances or to contribute to the Macehualli Capital Campaign, visit centromacehualli.org.

THE PLAY: Regino Ortega, an undocumented immigrant, has been living in the United States for 21 years when he’s arrested by ICE agents and Maricopa County Sheriff’s Deputies. His three young children are left behind and forced to fend for themselves. “The Tears of Lives” is a drama torn from today’s headlines that recounts the tragedy of families ripped apart as a consequence of the nation’s latest, wide-scale crackdown on immigrants.

Photos from the show!

(Select photo above to see gallery)

The Tears of Lives in the Press

Drama About Immigration Raids and their Human Consequences in Arizona Is No Fiction for Many /
Real Drama Real People…Theatre Captures Real Life in Arizona
By Valeria Fernández

Immigrant rights playwrights put on show in Phoenix
by Griselda Nevarez

The Fears of Tears of Lives
by Ru Hernandez

Theater helps raise funds for Macehualli Day Labor Center
by Valeria Fernández

The Tears of Lives – Tragedy and Call to Action
by Manuel de Jesús Hernández G.

Joe Arpaio, Paul Chagolla and the Veil of Fear in The Tears of Lives
By Stephen Lemons

World Premier of Play “Tears of Lives” this Friday to Help Save Phoenix Day Labor Center
by Malia Politzer

Joe Arpaio’s War on the Immigrant Kids of Royal Paper Employees, and The Tears of Lives
By Stephen Lemons

The Tao of Sheriff Joe – Mister Arpaio finally inspires something awesome
By Robrt L. Pela

Directed by Barbara Acker

A staged reading of A Mother’s Will will be held at The Pandora Festival –

May 15, 16, 17, 2009 at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

A Mother’s Will be performed at 7pm on Sunday, May 17.

Pandora Festival

What: Staged readings of full-length and 10-minute plays by Arizona women playwrights. Seven lab readings also are scheduled.

When: Friday, Saturday, Sunday. See Web site for plays and showtimes. Lab readings will be 10 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday.

Where: Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. Second St.

Admission: $12 per play. No charge for lab readings.

Information: www.azwtc.org, www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org or 480-994-2787.

Cast and crew — photos be will online a few days after the performance.