“Encuentros in the Borderlands”

Hold on tight as a desert whirlwind of activities transports you to new spaces in the landscape and your heart. With the first-ever Borderlands ENCUENTRO, in our most proactive season yet, you will encounter productions, readings, and workshops, presented in collaboration with resident and visiting artists from the United States and Mexico. This transnational programming will spark dialogue on our shared border experiences, and with the workshop of a newly-commissioned play, engage Tucson audiences directly in a drama about our community. Join us as we journey across harsh deserts and lyrical dreamscapes during this, our 28th season.

GROUNDED

A New Play by George Brant

Click here for full play information…

NNPN Rolling World Premiere

Air Force into the Chair Force! An F16 fighter pilot whose pregnancy ends her career in the sky, is re-assigned to maneuver drones from an air-conditioned trailer near Vegas. A tour de force play for one actress, Grounded flies from the heights of lyricism to the shallows of workday existence, targeting our assumptions about war, family, and the power of storytelling.

September 26 – October 13, 2013

Zuzi’s Theater 738 N. 5th Ave.
Student Matinee: October 3rd • 10am

A Tucson Pastorela

by Milta Ortiz and the Pastorela Ghost Writers

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Directed by Eva Tessler

Shepherds, Sheep and Dog trekto Belen guided by La Estrella to witness the Nativity.  Their journey is fraught with perils, temptations, and scary Diablos, but also fueled by hope, love, glorious Archangels and singing Kings!  Live waila music with Gertie and the T.O. Boyz, a special performance by Ballet Folklorico Tapatio before Sunday’s matinee, and piñatas for the little ones after every show!

December 19-22, 2013

TCC Leo Rich Theater (260 S. Church Ave.)

UN ENCUENTRO: Theater from the Borderlands

Two New Transnational Productions with Borderlands Theater and el Circulo Teatral (Mexico City)

Artistic collaboration on both sides of the boarder is something Borderlands has explored several times throughout the seasons, with shared work, artists, and the occasional touring production. What makes the process different this season is a deeper exploration of creating and producing the same productions from our different perspectives in the same season (look for more information on this creative exchange on our “What’s New” page). We are calling this exploration… Un Encuentro: Theater from the Borderlands

MARIA’S CIRCULAR DANCE

by Medardo Treviño, translated and directed by Eva Tessler
Colombian migrant Maria and her kidnapper Angelito whirl into a frenzied dance where dreams and reality, terror and courage dissolve.

TRASH

by Kara Hartzler • directed by Marc David Pinate
From the playwright of AZ: No Roosters in the Desert, comes the companion play to Maria’s Circular Dance. A female US Detention Center prison guard holds the fate of a male detainee in her hands as they see each other mirrored in the face of the other.

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February 13 – March 2, 2014
(performed together)

Zuzi’s Theater (738 N. 5th Ave)
Student Matinee: February 27th 10am

UNA FRONTERA / DOS LADOS

A FESTIVAL OF STAGED READINGS

As part of our Season of Encounters at the Borderline/Encuentros en la Frontera

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TIERRA DEL FUEGO / LAND OF FIRE by Mario Diament, directed by Philip Bennett
A docudrama based on a dialogue between an Israeli woman and the Palestinian man who attacked a bus she was on 22 years earlier. 7pm October 6, 2013 • Zuzi’s Theater (738 N. 5TH Ave)

THE CRIMINALIZATION OF KNOWLEDGE by Milta Ortiz, directed by Marc David Pinate
The untimely demise of the Tucson Unified School District’s Ethnic Studies program as told from various accounts. Ortiz is our playwright in residence this season, thanks to a grant from NNPN. TBA

THEY CALL ME A HERO by Guillermo Reyes, also directed by Guillermo Reyes
A new play about Daniel Hernandez, the intern who helped save Gaby Gifford’s life during the 2011 shooting in Tucson. 7:30pm February 22, 2014 • Zuzi’s Theater (738 N. 5TH Ave)

EL AUSENTE / ABSENCE by Victor Hugo Rascón Banda, directed by Victor Carpinteiro
A dark comedy in Spanish: ¿Cuando Papa se va a los Estados Unidos, que pasa con los que se quedan? 7:30pm February 19, 2014 Modern Language Auditorium U of A

ABSENCE / EL AUSENTE
by Victor Hugo Rascón Banda, translated by Caridad Svich
A dark comedy in English: When Papá migrates to the US, what happens to those left behind? 7pm February 23, 2014 • Zuzi’s Theater (738 N. 5TH Ave)

ZUZI!s Theater • 738 N. 5th Avenue (corner of 5th Ave and University)
UNA FRONTERA/DOS LADOS: A Festival of Staged Readings
General and Senior $8, Student and Flex Pass $6 • Festival Pass: Any 4 readings for just $20

Burning Patience

by Antonio Skarmeta, translation by Marion Peter Holt

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Directed by Barclay Goldsmith

In this sweet and funny play, Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, “lends” his poetry to Mario, a young letter carrier, so he can conquer the heart of his beloved Beatriz. The Academy Award winning film, “Il Postino,” was adapted from this poetic play.

April 3 – April 13, 2014

Zuzi’s Theater (738 N. 5TH Ave.)
Student Matinee: April 10th• 10 am