High School Theaters Join to Present Letters from the Wall/Cartas desde el Muro, A Play About Crossing Borders
On January 26-28 and February 2-4, 2018, students from Bayfront Charter High School and Coronado School of Arts come together to perform Letters From the Wall (Cartas desde el Muro), a series of vignettes based on letters and stories of people dealing with immigration, deportation and separation. Each “letter” is woven together from the true stories, letters, emails and even bedtime stories that local playwright Dave Rivas and Richard Griswold del Castillo have collected over the years. Co-directed by award-winning San Diego theater artists Kim Strassburger and Linda Libby, students from both high schools will collaborate to present this deeply empathetic human tale that is both exceedingly timely and relevant.
The contentious headlines and inflammatory language that dominate both sides of the debate often lose sight of the individuals at the heart of the issue. While the politics of immigration policy in the US may be divisive, the conversation takes on a different tone when the focus is on individual people and families —each with their own experience of crossing, or trying to cross, the border.
Originally written as a bi-national theatrical event by Dave Rivas, Letters From the Wall/Cartas Desde el Muro was first performed on November 21, 2015 on both sides of the border wall in San Ysidro, California and Playas, Tijuana, Mexico, with actors performing simultaneously on the United States and Mexico sides in English and Spanish. Each “letter” is woven together from the true stories, letters, emails and even bedtime stories that Rivas has collected. Letters From the Wall/Cartas Desde el Muro is a timely play that seeks to address the human experience in pursuit of a better life.
“Empathy begins with the recognition that everyone has a story—and these stories highlight how complex the problem—and the considered solutions—have become,” according to Strassburger.
The 570-seat Coronado Performing Arts Center Main Stage Theatre, located at 650 D Avenue, is the venue for this insightful performance on January 26 (7pm), January 27 (7pm) and January 28 (2pm) with performances the following week at Bayfront Charter High School, located at 830 Bay Blvd in Chula Vista, on February 2 (7pm), February 3 (7pm) and February 4 (2pm). Tickets are available at the box offices 45 minutes prior to performance or online at https://cosatheater.eventbrite.com and bayfrontcharter.com and range from $6-$18.
Coronado School of the Arts (CoSA) is a premier public school arts conservatory, home to 200 scholar artists grades 9 through 12, who attend the nationally ranked Coronado High School. CoSA provides an intense, pre-professional arts education to students from all over San Diego in six conservatories including dance, digital arts, music, musical theatre and drama, technical theatre and visual arts. For other upcoming CoSA events, visit www.cosasandiego.com.
Bayfront Charter High School is a new free non-profit public school and an extension of Mueller Charter School, one of the state’s oldest and most innovative charter schools.
