Tucson stories of resilience, survival topic of Borderlands play

Borderlands Theater is bringing its latest docu-theater play to the stage on Saturday, June 7.

“No Place Like Home” is a series of monologues curated from dozens of interviews with residents of three low-income apartment complexes in Tucson. The project is a partnership with the City of Tucson’s Violence Interruption & Vitalization Action (VIVA) initiative by the Community Safety, Health and Wellness Program, which aims to reduce violence through community activation.

While the city focuses on violence prevention, Borderlands Theater hones in on helping residents find their place in their space. One way to do that is through connecting neighbor to neighbor by telling their stories, said Borderlands Artistic Director Marc David Pinate.

“Storytelling is a really good way to get people to know each other, to trust themselves, trust each other and build relationships,” he said, adding that when people trust their neighbors, “they feel like they have each other’s backs, and they can really make decisions together and negotiate.”

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Pinate conducted interviews with several residents of each complex, including Ventura Villas on Tucson’s south side, where Saturday’s performance will be held. Borderlands, known for staging plays outside of a traditional theater, is transforming the basketball court into a stage with lighting, live music and movement.

The residents shared stories of overcoming hardships and finding inner strength to move forward, and their stories were then written as monologues by Pinate, Natalie Brewster Nguyen, Logan Philips, Brooke LaFrance, Emmanual Uwayezu and Adrian Perez.

A cast of professional actors, including Logan Philips, Brooke LaFrance, Emmanual Uwayezu, Steve Waite, Diana Acosta, Raul Grijalva-Gomez and Kat McIntosh will tell those stories on Saturday. Adrian Perez wrote the play’s original soundtrack.

The event opens with a community celebration at 6 p.m. Saturday at Ventura Villas, 6200 S. Campbell Ave., featuring mariachi performances by Las Azaleas, Changuitos Feos and Estrella Juvenil. The play begins at 7:50 p.m. and admission is free for both. For more information, visit borderlandstheater.org.