The Shelter project is undeniably multifaceted. While in its conception, the outcome was going to be a theatre piece, it is now traveling to numerous communities to openly share a story that does not always have a voice and to build community partners so that the Shelter team. Shelter addresses the lives of children who cross the border between the US and Mexico and are placed into the shelter system.
The medium in which we are exploring this issue is through the play as well as workshops being put on in community centers and schools in LA, such as CARECEN, SODHA, and Plaza de la Raza.
This project was developed after Marissa Chibas conducted many interviews with youth who have spent time in the shelter system. In order to give them a voice, the play was written.
The people who will be affected by this project range from individuals who get to watch their own stories be told, to people who do not know much about the very real hardships that surround immigration.
This project was created for the young people who have made the journey across the border.
As a designer for the show, my main job is to use costumes to further tell the story. I am striving for an authenticity that keeps this show realistic and close to home. My designs are greatly influenced by spending time with people of the communities in which we are reaching. The artistic design in this case is less about silhouette and has a focus on color palette creating a juxtaposition from scene to scene depending on the immediate situation.
The site specific community engagement opportunities have been a resource in that they have added a great deal of depth and understanding to the complexity of the situation. Because the play is not trying to suggest a solution for the issue, we can take in the complexities for what they are.
The goal of this project in my eyes, is really to tell an authentic story and although not every aspect may be clear and different audience members may leave with different thoughts and emotions, that is a great deal of what this story is and how it affects real lives.
while we are still working towards this show, the outcome has obviously not occurred at this point in time. Seeing the work that has gone into the show so far, I do believe we will achieve our goal. One of the greatest contributing factors to this is our plan to visit and interview the cast of UAC ETA TBD. Last year at Plaza, a very similar story was told by the youth in the theatre program. We are currently working on planning a time for the Shelter team to attend a rehearsal and ask last year's cast about their experience with UAC ETA TBD and how it affected themselves as individuals as well as their community. What was it to take on roles that many of their parents actually lived. What would they do differently if they were to perform the show again now? I am excited that the community around Plaza will be able to contribute to the success of this show.
As far as values, it has been recently realized, that the most important part of this production is remembering who we are doing it for- understanding that putting on an aesthetically incredible production is not our number one focus.
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