A Dream Act Union Project | 2011-2013
Written collectively by Mia Chung, Jessica Litwak, Chiori Miyagawa, Saviana Stanescu and Andrea Thome
DREAM ACTS has been developed over the last year, supported by the generosity of Lark Play Development Center, New York Theatre Workshop, INTAR, Re/Union Company, NYU Gallatin, and New Generations Theatre Ensemble and a community of devoted artists.
PROJECT HISTORY
DREAM ACTS at Skirball Center for the Performing Arts
SUNDAY, MARCH 10th, 2013
A staged reading and panel discussion presented by NYU Office of Global Services and the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts
Imagine that you don’t have a country. It doesn’t matter if you believe you’re American, because no one else believes you—not potential employers, not banks that issue student loans, not the government. There is no way to become legally American. You don’t exist. Worse, you are hunted for deportation. You love this country, but the country does not love you back.
In DREAM ACTS, five undocumented teens—from Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Turkey, and Ukraine—meet the extraordinary challenge of living ordinary lives under the radar. Each story is moving and urgent. Some are funny. Others are tragic. Through these characters, we learn about the DREAM Act and the secret lives led by undocumented youth.
PROJECT HISTORY
DREAM ACTS at Skirball Center for the Performing Arts
SUNDAY, MARCH 10th, 2013
A staged reading and panel discussion presented by NYU Office of Global Services and the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts
Cast | Carlo Albán | Heidi Armbruster | Jackie Chung | Rachel Holmes | Ryan Shams
Stage Manager | Jennifer Birge
Line Producer | Amanda Feldman
The read was followed by a panel discussion featuring:
Alejandra Rincon, author, Undocumented Immigrants and Higher Education; Dan H. Berger, Esq., Curran & Berger LLP; the playwrights and performers; and undocumented students eligible for proposed DREAM Act benefits. The panel was moderated by playwright Saviana Stanescu and introduced by David B. Austell, Ph.D, Assistant Vice President and Director, Office of Global Services, and Associate Professor of International Education, the Steinhardt School.
DREAM ACTS at HERE’s Spring Artist Lodge
March 23-25, 2012
Photos: Alban Andreu
Cast | Neimah Djourabchi | Anna Kull | Ray Lucas | Rory Lipede | Tiffany Villarin
Consulting Dramaturg | Suzy Fay
Lighting Designer | Raphael Mishler
Costume Designer | Savana Leveille
Stage Manager | Kate Rourke
Assistant Producer | Ann Marie Dorr
Project Assistant | Nicole Sandry
Re/Union Company and Immigrant Artists and Scholars in New York presented the panel: DREAM ACTS: The Role of Theatre in Social Change
The panel featured DREAM-eligible undocumented youth Yelky Ramos and Nataly Lopez and special guests: Thanu Yakupitiyage (DREAM Fellowship Coordinator, New York Immigration Coalition), Carlo Albán (theatre/film artist, author of the autobiographical solo show “Intringulis”, about his life as an undocumented immigrant), Marcy Arlin (artistic director of Obie-winner Immigrant Theater Project, CUNY professor), Meiyin Wang (associate producer of “Under the Radar” Festival and Symposium in New York). Moderated by playwright Saviana Stanescu.
February 10, Staged Reading at INTAR
Cast | Darius Homayoun | Anna Kull | Rory Lipede | Jennifer Lim | Gio Perez
January 16, 2012 – Workshop at NYU Gallatin
Cast | Carlo Albán | Heidi Armbruster | Jackie Chung | Taifa Harris | Amir Darvish
December 21, 2011 – Workshop at La Mama Experimental Theatre
Cast | Carlo Albán | Amir Darvish | Rachel Holmes | Lanna Joffrey | Maria Christina Oliveras
October 21, 2011 – Workshop at Lark Play Development Center
June 26, 2011 Workshop at New York Theatre Workshop