'Vanished': A play on immigration rooted in real stories

Photo by David P. Anderson

Clockwise from top: Actors Tim Seneca, Megan Smith and Benito Cruz, depict a home invasion where an I.C.E. officer tries to detain an undocumented father working and living in Detroit.

DETROIT MARCH 3, 2010 - Based on the experiences of friends and family, the Matrix Young Playwrights will premiere “Vanished,” a poignant and personal look at how our country’s immigration policy has impacted people’s lives, on March 12 running weekends through March 28 at the Matrix Theatre, located at 2730 Bagley in Detroit’s Mexicantown. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for students and seniors, and $8 for children 10 - 16 years of age. Call 313-967-0599, or go to matrixtheatre.org for further information.

“Vanished” is directed by 19-year-old Laura Perez who also led the collective writing of the production. The writers spent a year gathering stories from residents, immigration officers, school officials and more. The idea for the play is based on the experience of Perez’s close friend whose father, the family’s provider, was deported as an undocumented immigrant, while his mother was left to fend for herself and their three children. Unable to find work, she was forced to move back to Mexico. Unwilling to give up his education as an honor student at Cass Technical High School, Perez’s young friend was forced to support himself while finishing his senior year. Despite his hardships, he graduated with honors and was awarded a scholarship to the College for Creative Studies. He had to turn it down because of his undocumented status. Today he lives alone and struggles to support himself with low-paying jobs, while attending Henry Ford Community College part time.

“Vanished” includes other personal experiences shared by the cast and playwrights: dignity-stripping home invasions; a parent desperately struggling to find someone to care for his children when his wife is suddenly deported; married couples deported without their children ever being notified. Residents live in constant fear of deportation each time they see U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicles on their street.

“This play is the voice of a lot of people in this neighborhood,” said Perez. “You can start your day as a family, and that afternoon your parents are gone and you’re forced to fend for yourself.” Perez began working with Matrix at the age of 10. This deeply felt original work is her professional directing debut, and it draws upon her experience as a child of immigrant parents growing up in Southwest Detroit.

Matrix Theatre Company is a non-profit community-based theatre located in Southwest Detroit. Established in 1991, Matrix creates everything from scratch, from puppets of all sizes to over 90 original plays. Matrix Theatre Company uses the transformative power of original theatre to change lives, build community and foster social justice. It creates opportunities for children, youth, adults and elders, especially those in isolated or challenged communities, to become creators, producers and audiences of original theatre. For further information or to follow Matrix on Facebook, Twitter and Blogger, go to matrixtheatre.org.

“Vanished” is the newest play by the Matrix Young Playwrights. Last year’s work “Caution: This Is How Its Caught” was a play about HIV/AIDS awareness. “Vanished” continues to ask hard questions that the Playwrights are known for, and brings the issue of immigration reform to the forefront.

Photo by Francisco Ruiz 

Jose Varela, Laura Perez and Matt Dooley were three of the main writers for “Vanished,” although many were involved in the collective playwriting process. 

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Matrix Theatre Company presents ‘Vanished’ 

FACT SHEET 

What: 

Event: World Premiere of “Vanished”
Synopsis: The story of a family in Detroit literally torn apart by immigration laws and enforcement policies.

Where: 

Address: Matrix Theatre Company
2730 Bagley Detroit, MI 48216
Tickets: Box office - 313-967-0599. $15 general admission. $10 students with ID. $10 seniors 65 and older. $8 children 10-16.

Who: 

Director: Laura Perez
Playwright: Matrix Young Playwrights
Lighting /Scenic/Stage Manager: Kevin Barron
Costume Designer: Stella Woitulewicz
Cast: Megan Smith - Gabriella Gerardo; Justino Solis - Jesus Gerardo; Maria Ayala - Carina Gerardo; Benito Cruz - Hector Gerardo; Jose Varela - Erick, Victor and Pablo; Alyssa Bunton - Rachel and Angelina; Sarah Cline - Stacy; Tim Seneca - Boss and I.C.E Officer; Francisco Ruiz - Assistant Manager; Nicholas Infante - Assistant Manager and I.C.E. Officer.

When: 

March 12 - Friday - 8 p.m.
March 13 - Saturday - 4 p.m.
March 14 - Sunday - 4 p.m. (Spanish Translation) (Talk-back)
March 19 - Friday - 8 p.m. (Spanish Translation)
March 20 - Saturday - 4 p.m.
March 20 - Saturday - 8 p.m.
March 21 - Sunday - 4 p.m. (Touch Tours - 3:30 p.m.) (Audio Description) (Talk-back) March 26 - Friday - 8 p.m. (Touch Tours - 7 p.m.) (Audio Description)
March 27 - Saturday - 4 p.m. (Spanish Translation)
March 27 - Saturday - 8 p.m. (ASL Interpretation)
March 28 - Sunday - 4 p.m. (ASL Interpretation)

(Matrix Theatre Company’s Inclusive Theatre Initiative insures that Matrix Productions are available to all theatre lovers. Services include: Accessible parking, seating and restroom facilities. Assistive Listening devices available at all shows.)

Matrix shows off projects, thanks Matrix-family at annual meeting

Matrix’s 2010 Annual Meeting was a great opportunity to give thanks to all of the people who helped make Matrix possible in the 2008-2009 season. At the meeting the Matrix community came together to discuss where Matrix is now, and how far it has come.

The theatre was packed beyond capacity with funders, donors, partners, members of the Board of Directors, Matrix’s young artists, their families and the Matrix staff.

Once all the guests had arrived and mingled, the night began with a focus on the students and their accomplishments. Andrea Scobie’s Teatro de la Vida students started off with their original work, The Stronger They Are, The Badder They Rise, a performance piece that arose from the youth’s insights into songs by Michael Jackson and Kanye West.

Matrix’s Young Playwrights went next with a staged reading of two scenes from their upcoming world premiere of Vanished. Vanished will run weekends March 12^th through March 28^th at Matrix and deals with the issue of immigration in our border city. Check out the event on Facebook.

Matrix’s young artist Marisa de la Cruz Martin performed her imaginative and animated puppetry. Marisa received the Promising Puppeteer Award, which not only recognizes Marisa’s growth and talent with her puppets, but also acts as a full scholarship for Marisa to attend as many Matrix classes as she wants over the next year. It was the inaugural award in a scholarship program created for Matrix’s School of Theatre. The program’s goal is to provide support for families in need so that any child can attend the school’s performance, puppetry and mask-making classes. The initial award was made possible through a donation by Richard P. Baks, who was thanked from the stage by Shaun Nethercott, Matrix’s Co-Founder and Executive Director.

There was also special recognition of Board Member Jeanne Vogt, who will be retiring from the Board after six years. Jeanne was honored for the transformative leadership she has provided during her long commitment to Matrix.

The 2010-2011 season was also announced. The opening Heritage Play is Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams, followed by the annual holiday play Puppet Scrooge. For the Spring 2011 production two one-act plays are grouped together for “Comedy Tonight:” Para Siempre by Maria Serratos, an adaptation from Neil Simon’s Plaxa Suite, which is paired with Backstage Passes by local playwright Roger Kerson. The festival production in May 2011 is Ghost Waters: In Our Life, the second stage of Matrix’ three-year Ghost Waters project, funded by the Erb Family Foundation.

Shaun shared key details from the annual report, which showed growth across the board at Matrix. Since 1991 Matrix has staged 122 productions and created 90 original scripts. Its plays have been seen by 68,000 people. More than 13,000 people have worked with Matrix since its founding.

Service has seen dramatic increases this year. The School of Theatre held 957 sessions compared to last year’s 617, with 708 participants versus 432 in 2007-2008. In-school arts education programs reached 550 school students, more than double the 239 served the year before. Contact hours totaled 2243, up from 1576, and there were 535 youth sessions, compared to 351 last year. Matrix’s young artists performed for more than 2,000 at 25 locations.

The audience for Matrix Theatre’s productions was over 8,500, an increase of over 200 from the previous year.

Huge thanks are extended to Majestic Cafe and the Zaineas, Nethercott Enterprises, Saint Bonaventure Monastery, and On the Rise Bakery- The Capuchin Soup Kitchen for their wonderful donations.

Two ‘Vanished’ sneak peek events

Wednesday, Jan. 13 7 p,m.

St. Anne's Church, 1000 St. Anne St.

Part of the Town Hall Meeting for Immigration Reform

Organized by Reform Immigration for America

Saturday, Jan. 23 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

UAW Hall - Local 22, 4300 Michigan Ave.

Part of the SW Detroit Multicultural MultiGenerational Celebration

Organized by Michigan Roundtable and others

Vanished is almost ready for its debut on March 12, it is the culmination of over a year of work by the talented young playwrights of SW Detroit. This new play will impact our part of the national conversation on immigration and deportation issues as reform debates heat up in Washington.

To begin this process, there will two sneak peek staged readings from the play this month at different community events. The first will be Wednesday, Jan 13 at St. Anne’s Church, 1000 St. Anne St., at 7 p.m. as part of the “50 States for Immigration Reform” Town Hall Meetings coordinated by Reform Immigration for America and the launch of their legislative campaign. This looks to be the strongest upcoming national reform issue, so we encourage you to participate.

The second will be on Saturday, Jan 23 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the SW Detroit Multicultural MultiGenerational Celebration held at the UAW Hall Local 22, 4300 Michigan Ave., as part of a larger community celebration with other performances, activities and wonderful food.

Please come out and invite your friends! Each performance is different, so we hope you can make it to both.

RSVP’s to ksrdjak@matrixtheatre.org are helpful, though not required. Questions and comments are also welcome either by email or phone.

Newest original work, 'Vanished,' premieres March 12

Matrix Theatre Company premieres its newest original production, “Vanished” on March 12, 2010. “Vanished” is a creation of Matrix’s Young Playwrights, who will perform the play in partnership with adult mentors trained in the Matrix way. “Vanished” is the story of a family literally torn apart by immigration laws and enforcement policies.

Set in present-day Southwest Detroit, “Vanished” shows one family’s struggle to live the American Dream, a struggle that is defined differently for parents born abroad and their kids born in the U.S. It deals with the realities of life for immigrant families without preaching or choosing sides.

“Vanished” was created in keeping with Matrix’s mission, to use the transformative power of theatre to change lives, build community and foster social justice. The Young Playwrights who created “Vanished” researched the history of U.S. immigration laws, learned about the recent changes made to enforcement policies, and explored the myths and prejudices at work in the formation of public opinion about immigrants. The result of their efforts is a new work that is designed to open discussion, so that audiences can share their ideas and experiences about an issue that impacts the lives of tens of thousands of Detroiters.

Matrix’s newly configured theatre is an intimate space that ensures that all the action can be seen from every seat. Matrix’s Inclusive Theatre Initiative also insures that “Vanished” is available to all, with parking, seating, and restroom facilities accessible to everyone. Audio description will be available on March 21 and March 26, and assistive listening devices are offered at every show. Guest speakers will host “Talk-backs” at select performances. “Talk-backs” are post-performance events where audiences can meet the creative team behind the play and take part in guided discussions about the play’s themes.

“Vanished” runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 4 p.m. from March 12, 2010 through March 28, 2010, at Matrix Theatre Company, 2730 Bagley Street in Detroit.

Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students (with ID) and seniors (65 or older). Children 12 and under pay $8 with an adult. There are no discounts offered for Saturday performances. Special rates are offered for groups of 10 or more.

Tickets can be purchased for the upcoming production by calling Matrix Theatre Company’s box office at 313-967-0599, and more information is available at www.matrixtheatre.org.