Detained is an exploration of the challenges some migrants face before, during, and after they’ve been detained by authorities. The play was written by 2021 Lorraine Hansberry Award-winning playwright France-Luce Benson and was conceived and co-created by immigration attorney Judy Rabinovitz. The play is directed by Mark Valdez, winner of the 2021 Zelda Fichandler Award.
The play is based on real life cases of immigrants awaiting deportation while being held at detention facilities. For these immigrants, any mistake, any breaking of the law, no matter how small, can lead to a nightmare. Not only would they be expelled from the US, but they would also come across many challenges once in their country of origin, as some of them were taken to the US in their childhood and the knowledge of their original country is little to none. The case of the foodie, played by Michael Uribes, is a good example.
The professions of these immigrants are as varied as their countries of origin. We hear of a roofer, a veteran, the aforementioned foodie, an immigrant with a mental disorder, etc. The particular cases of these immigrants can be heart-wrenching, but the immigration experience needs to be told in all of its spectrum to be fully understood. The American Dream can mean different things to different people. Even when someone might be living the dream, any past mistake can bring charges that could lead to deportation. In this case, the play stresses the constant fear of many immigrants with criminal records, even non-violent, no matter if they already paid for them.
One of the most striking cases is the veteran who was deployed and came back with post-traumatic stress disorder and other issues as a result not only of war but also of the medical treatment he received in the hands of military doctors. France-Luce Benson and Judy Rabinovitz made sure the excruciating details are not forgotten.
As for the technical details of the production, the set is a remainder of the walls, colors, and sounds of the whole ordeal these immigrants went through. The detention centers, the audiences to hear their fate, the knocking of the door, the voices of the ICE agents, all serve as painful memories that help the audience better understand the process of how the American Dream is shattered one immigrant at a time. The cleaver use of lighting, in some instances very intense, is a striking and powerful reflection of the intensity of the experience for these people. This play might not be for the faint of heart, but is a remainder of the vicissitudes of some immigrants in desperate need and the voice of those legal experts trying to help them.
Details:
Detained
The Fountain Theatre
5060 Fountain Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(corner Fountain & Normandie)
Performances: February 19 – April 10
Fridays at 8 p.m.: Feb. 25; March 4, 11, 18, 25; April 1, 8
Saturdays at 8 p.m.: Feb. 19 (opening night), 26; March 5, 12, 19, 26; April 2, 9
Sundays at 2 p.m.: Feb. 20, 27; March 6, 13, 20, 27; April 3, 10
Mondays at 8 p.m.: Feb. 28; March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4 (dark Feb. 21)
For tickets:
https://www.fountaintheatre.com/
Cast:
Camila Ascencio
Christine Avila
Liana Arauz
Will Dixon
Jan Munroe
Theodore Perkins
Marlo Su
Michael Uribes
Written by France-Luce Benson
Conceived and co-created by Judy Rabinovitz
Directed by Mark Valdez
Produced by Stephen Sachs, Simon Levy, James Bennett
Executive Producers Joni and Miles Benickes, Diana Buckhantz
