Local playwright takes a stand on SB1070

By Allison Hurtado Ahwatukee Foothills News
Mar 25, 2011
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Director Barbara Wood watches as Chip Wood acting as a police officer confronts Sasha Wordlaw who plays a suspect illegal immigrant in the SB 1070 play script they're acting out. March, 23,2011(Darryl Webb/AFN)

With immigration being discussed all around us in this state, one theater company could not help but address it in “Performing 1070, A Short-Play Festival.”

“Needless to say last year was a year in which Arizona caught the attention of the world,” said James Garcia, producing artistic director for the New Carpa Theatre Company. “In my work at the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce I was taking calls from Belgium and Germany and soforth, as well as those in the United States. In a way people were all asking the same question – why is there such a conflict over this issue? Why has it turned so ugly? I’ve been immersed in it since before the passage of Senate Bill 1070. I knew in some way, shape or form I had to deal with it as an artist as well.”

Garcia, an Ahwatukee Foothills resident, is a former journalist and a longtime playwright. He says he has written news stories and plays about immigration, but has also seen it first hand with his family from Mexico.

In recent years, Garcia has become more involved with community work and efforts to get the state to focus on things other than immigration. These short plays are part of that push to tell legislators to stop and let the federal government handle immigration.

Garcia sent out a message across the nation looking for short plays and performance pieces about immigration. He was pleasantly surprised when he he received 70 responses. Not only did he receive a wide variety of performances, but he said the work was very high quality.

“I sort of thought in my head, maybe prejudiced because I live here in the Southwest, that we were going to get plays about the border and about border patrol agents and immigrants from Mexico,” Garcia said. “That turned out not to be the case.”

The 12 works chosen for the final production show Irish immigrants in the prohibition era, Canadian immigrants, Native Americans, abstract ideas about building walls between cultures, as well as Mexican immigrants and the fears surrounding SB 1070.

Garcia says this is an artist’s way of expressing their feelings about immigration laws.

“If I were a lobbyist, I would go knock on doors,” he said. “If I were a legislator, I would bring these comments on the House floor. So as artists we can’t do the performance on the House floor but we can do it on the lawn. That’s the closest we can get. Maybe some of the legislators will stop and watch.”

The festival will have two performances. The group will perform at Arizona State University West, 4701 W. Thunderbird Road in La Sala A, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 30. This performance will also include some students from Carl Hayden High School. The second performance will take place on the House Lawn at the Arizona State Capitol, 1700 W. Washington St., on Thursday, March 31 at 11:30 a.m. Admission to both performances is free, but donations will be accepted.

Garcia hopes the performances will not only get a message across but entertain the audience as well. In the end, he hopes to contribute to the effort to get legislators to focus on what Arizona needs most.

“I truly want our state leadership to focus on those issues that are really about all Arizonans and not some small percentage of Arizonans,” Garcia said. “I don’t think it’s their place to do it and it takes them away from focusing the energy that they need to focus on. I’m involved in these issues and I care very deeply about what happens, but really most of my life I worry about my three children. I have a daughter about to go to college. I worry about the tuition rates. I’m worried about the value of my home. I’m worried, of course, about my job. Those are the things that preoccupy me and I want the state of Arizona to do whatever it can to deal with these issues. I want the federal government to deal with immigration. I hope that’s the result of what this all will be.”

(2) comments

wolfaaron Apr 11, 2011 4:29pm

@Brittanicus

Are you seriously suggesting we let the Racist Extremist tea party do any decisions? If you haven't noticed, the tea party hasn't stood for anything good since it started. Now all the tea party is, is a bunch of old cranky people trying to get into the politics hating anyone that isn't white.

Maybe you have roots to racism, but there isn't very many people besides old men that support the tea party.

Anyways. This is a good idea, a play that educates people. Hey Brittanicus, maybe you could do something useful with your life and do something like this. Following a bunch of racist cranky old men around isn't going to help you or anyone.

To hell with SB1070. To Hell with Joe Arpaio. And Jan Brewer is already to hell so no need for her.

Viva los Latinos!

Brittanicus Mar 27, 2011 8:42pm

ONLY THE TEA PARTY CAN SAVE AMERICA FROM AN INVASION OF THE POOR.

The US 2010 census projection of our population stating it has grown from 282 million in 2000 to 309 million in 2010, a net increase of 27 million residents in a decade. The Pew Research Center study has calculated the total to the U.S. population of 438 million by 2050. That's if there are no policy changes, an increase of 129 million over the 2010 population, which means more oil, energy and water sources.Not to mention the lose of farmland for homes. Wild Creature are also being disrupted from their century old environments. Any prudent person analyzing this data would recognize their are well over 11. million illegal aliens in this country; more like 20 million plus? Our country has been lied to by Leftist groups, who want all borders open as a free society. Neither major party wants secure enforcement, because it would inhibit their agendas. For Democrats that means potentially more votes; while with Republicans its foremost interest is to the business opportunists who profit from cheap labor.

We must organize with everybody who have the same opinions as the TEA PARTY on halting illegal immigration. Every American citizen or legal green card holder is welcome to fight this travesty of illegal occupation, no matter their race or religion.We just cannot afford to support the world anymore; how can we support the poor of other countries, when we don't aid our own below the bread line? The only people who will gain advantage from out-of-control illegal immigrant occupation, is business of every type. Millions more customers bring enormous profits and wealth to the owners, who the majority don't live in congested neighborhoods. Only the relentless Tea Party politicians can save America from overpopulation?

That fact is we could accomplishes huge savings if illegal aliens and instant citizenship offspring were cut-off from all welfare benefits and States such as the Sanctuary State of California, would not be crippled by a 26 billion dollar deficit, partially caused by education, health care and the overcrowded jail and prisons from the settlement of illegal foreigners. Our cities infrastructure are crumbling, including highways, bridges, tunnels, with the constant effect of overcrowding. Beneath the ground is a 50 year of danger of leaking sewerage pipes, electric wiring and water supplies.They are not the only State burdened by massive loses to their general funds, being siphoned off by illegal immigrant entitlements.

Consider a future if we don't seal our borders, stop tourist visa over- stayers, enforce immigration laws by using ATTRITION as the main deterrent. Make our politicians enact E-Verify as a permanent law to reduce the illegal influx of foreigners. Mandate the use of Secure Communities for every police force throughout America, backed by the federal 287 (g) policies to fingerprint and identify every individual in (ICE) databases, so that all criminals can be handed over to the Immigration and Customs Service for deportation. Further our chances of ignorant businesses hiring cheap labor, when our own citizens-residents cannot get jobs, by joining the Tea PARTY. They will stop the Tax and Spend Liberals, reduce government, return jobs to bona fide Americans and halt the illegal immigration invasion, that is overwhelming every community and bringing even more poverty to America.

Attention: General Electric paid no taxes whatsoever last fiscal year. The Tax code needs to be reinvented, so everybody pays their fair share. In the last election the State Attorney Generals of New Mexico, New York, Texas and New Jersey stated illegal aliens voted in the prior election. My opinion is these people are compromising the vote in California and Nevada as well, because of the massive populations of foreign nationals. Illegal aliens will and do vote using forged Absentee Ballots and fake ID to sign in to register at polling stations.