“Among individuals as among nations, the respect to other people's rights is peace”. -­-­ Benito Juarez “Any woman of color writing her own story is a political act in itself”. -­-­ Josephina Lopez One Journey Stitching Stories Across the Mexican “American” Border Written and Performed by Yadira De La Riva Multi-­Media Design by Kenji Calderon-­Miyamoto Music Contributions by FUGA – www.myspace.com/fuguista One Journey: Stitching Stories Across the Mexican “American” Border began as a vision, a seed planted in my homeland of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, nourished in the political consciousness I gained in the Bay Area, California and harvested through creative collaboration in New York City. After ten years of digging for my U.S./Mexico borderland history through research and insightful family and community interviews, I was determined to transform the richness of our stories into a dramatic interpretation that became this one-­‐-­‐woman show. I began writing in a creative effort to understand my identity as an American from the U.S./Mexico borderland of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. Living on the margins of the United States and Mexico, I often felt ignored or completely overlooked by mainstream media in both countries. I became eager to understand my relationship to this land, to these two countries and to myself by asking, “What does “American” mean in a community that is divided by a physical and geopolitical line that forcefully separates my family, history and cultural heritage? How has labor policy and border enforcement that is fueled by anti-­‐immigrant sentiment, impacted our daily bi-­‐national lives? What knowledge and experiences make us unique as Americans?” Theater has provided the vehicle for me to address U.S./Mexico border identity through issues that have impacted my community for generations and continue to inform who I am today. Finding a lack of U.S./Mexico border women’s voices in theater, I became inspired to represent my perspective of our stories through poetry, dance, music, drama and comedy to universalize our personal experiences within a larger global context.
One Journey had its world premier in 2010 with an independently produced collaborative project entitled Emerging Identities: Bodies on the Line. Since then, I have had the opportunity to perform One Journey in different theaters, community centers and universities throughout the United States to inspire dialogue about the socio-­‐political realities of border life. My vision is to continue using theater as a means to promote women’s stories and to question the meaning of borders in today’s world. Yadira De La Riva One Journey U.S./Mexico Border Tour 2013 It is with utmost gratitude and humility to all the organizers, venues and audiences that supported my One Journey U.S./Mexico Border tour that I can announce it’s successful completion. My 2013 road tour began in Austin on October 4-­‐-­‐5th, which then sent me off to the eastern most tip of the U.S./Mexico border city of Brownsville, Texas. From then, I drove west and performed One Journey in fourteen different cities on the United States side of the border. The goals of the tour were to use theater to spark dialogue about border identity and politics, inspire others, especially women, to tell their stories and to video document the stories of other border residents in order to produce a documentary that celebrates the lives and stories of these marginalized communities. The personal and artistic rewards of this experience have surpassed what I had ever imagined and I’m excited to share all the ways that I’ve grown through upcoming stage productions and the completion of the One Journey documentary. If you are interested in learning more about One Journey and booking a performance in your community, please see the following information. Performance Description One Journey: Stitching Stories Across the Mexican “American” Border is a woman’s coming of age story on the United States/Mexico border specifically located in El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. This documentary one-­‐-­‐woman theater play weaves personal borderlander interviews and creative imagination to tell the story of a family separated by border enforcement and the U.S./Mexico war on drugs. The goal of this performance project is to shed a feminine light on borderland identity that is influenced by dual languages, values and cultures as well as by cross-­‐-­‐border economics, nationalities and immigration policy. One Journey begins in Juarez with a Mexican couple’s effort to give birth to their children in El Paso, Texas hoping to eventually immigrate to the United States and raise their family in better economic conditions. Narrated by their second born daughter, Yadira, takes audiences through her socialization of cross-­‐-­‐border life where home, work and family are separated by a physical barrier that her community must negotiate everyday. The plot thickens as border enforcement, family division, deportation and violence replace a cross-­‐-­‐border peace and normalcy she once thought existed. She explores ways to stitch the wound separating her family and community back together by reclaiming history through personal experiences and by attempting to reconnect with the border’s greatest life source, the Rio Grande. This play uses theater, comedy, poetry, movement, dance, music, and multimedia projections to visually highlight the El Paso/Juarez physical location. By using a single prop, Yadira creates the border on which characters negotiate their identities from one nation to another. The play is approximately one hour long and includes ten different characters, all which serve to represent different perspectives regarding border dynamics. About the Artist Yadira De La Riva is an artist/educator from El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz and was an intern for Theater of the Oppressed in Brazil in 2002. She has taught theater workshops in California, New York, Mexico, Brazil, Cuba and Ethiopia. Yadira recently obtained her Master’s Degree in Artivism: Performance as Cultural Resistance at New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study as a Newington-­‐-­‐Cropsey Fellow. As part of her Master’s thesis she wrote, performed and produced “One Journey: Stitching Stories Across the Mexican ‘American’ Border”. One Journey was performed in New York as part of Emerging Identities Solo Performance Collaborative; Emerging Artist Theater: One Woman Standing Theater Festival; and Gallatin’s Master’s Thesis Showcase in Spring 2010 in New York. Since then, One Journey has been featured in theaters and universities in California, Washington, Illinois, Georgia, New Jersey, Wisconsin and New York. In the fall 2013, Yadira conducted a U.S./Mexico Border road tour reaching 14 different cities along the borderland to explore and discuss its social/political effects. Yadira is an intellectually fierce and multi-­‐-­‐faceted performer whose passion is to write, perform and produce performances that represent and empower marginalized voices nationally and internationally. For more information go to: www.yadiradelariva.com and www.onejourneychronicles.com Viewers Notes "One Journey masterfully translates the rich and complex stories of people living between nations. Yadira De La Riva's performance made me laugh, made me angry, and most importantly gave me an intimate look into very important human experience. I highly recommend everyone see it at least once." Rolando Brown -­‐-­‐ Founder at MVMT "Although thousands of miles away from the U.S./Mexico border, her work is a story of our humanity. It calls for us to see each other as ourselves, striving to survive and provide for our families." Monica Amaro -­ Fronteriza Educator/Organizer from El Paso, Texas based in New York City. “Besides the relevance and power of her work, what struck me most about Yadira’s performance was her level of commitment to the craft. She is clearly hungry. Her drive to take her work to its highest potential is palpable.” Rosa Esperanza Gonzalez Education -­‐-­‐ Director, Artist, Facilitator in Oakland California "Yadira De La Riva's self-­written and produced show of "One Journey" is a very heart touching story that takes you on a realistic journey through her personal experiences. Through her movement and poetry, she will capture your attention and engage your mind. " Don Williams -­ Artistic Director of Cultural Arts and Diversity, UCSC "The piece is striking, full of heart and gut wrenching. The students were astonished at her ability to authentically portray such a wide range of characters. The story resonated with so many people in the room on such a personal level." Michelle Lopez-­‐-­‐Rios -­‐-­‐ Theater Director and Professor at University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. “Besides the relevance and power of her work, what struck me most about Yadira’s performance was her level of commitment to the craft. She is clearly hungry. Her drive to take her work to its highest potential is palpable.” Rosa Esperanza Gonzalez -­ Education Director, Artist, Facilitator in Oakland California “It was an honor inviting UCSC alumna Yadira de la Riva's play, ONE JOURNEY: Stitching Stories Across the Mexican American Border, to perform at one of her former campus'. Her performance reminded me of my own upbringing, where I was raised in the San Diego/ Tijuana border region. It is crucial for the public to be exposed of the interactions and exchanges that occur when two separate nations are so closely together. Yadira beautifully narrates her personal experiences and creates imperative dialogue with the audience, which helps share thoughts and change.” Katie Ventura -­‐-­‐ Actor/Educator and Alum of UCSC/Rainbow Theater "I attended the performance with a group of young undergraduate Latinas who had never seen anything like it. It was beautiful to see how inspired and amazed they were. It was as if Yadira's performance had uncovered paths never before imagined by the women. This is an absolutely empowering and beautiful performance by a womyn (re)connecting to a creative voice, a creative self, disrupted by Patriarchy. The show is resistance with love, a (re)creation, a reclamation, a reminder of the power of stories." María Isabel Morales -­ Doctoral student/scholar/activist/educator at Washington State University Liberation / Encarceration by: Noé Lomelí No Human is Illegal by: Noé Lomelí Post Show Dialogue and Workshops – Modified According to Needs/Requests Post Show Dialogue U.S./Mexico Border Policy • Border culture and geopolitical location • History of U.S./Mexico border enforcement • NAFTA and maquiladoras (factories) on the border • History, politics and activism regarding femicide in Ciudad Juarez • 2006 War on Drugs • Resources and information to learn more about U.S./Mexico border • Expanding dialogue to other borders in conflict world wide Creative Process • Writing a one-­‐-­‐person show • Weaving fact and fiction • Independent producing • Collaborating cross artistic mediums • Women and marketing strategies Workshops Theater of the Oppressed/Augusto Boal • Using personal experiences to create art/theater • Image Theater – a universal language • Forum Theater – putting social change to practice • Trust and community building • Collaborative skit building • Cross medium performance: dance, poetry, multimedia, music • Cross cultural performance: Diversity in art/theater • Hip Hop Theater Performance Videos Emerging Artists: Bodies on the Line (New York, NY) – April 2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp_gF2X4y-­‐-­‐8&feature=related ISM 2010 – April 2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmU6lK0XArU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju01nCmPRLg&feature=related One Journey Performance History • Emerging Artists: Bodies on the Line (New York, NY) – April 2010 • Master’s Thesis Showcase (New York, NY) – April 2010 • ISM 2010 – April 2010 • One Woman Standing Festival (New York, NY) – May 2010 • Museo del Barrio – Super Sábado (New York, NY) – May 2010 • Latina/o Focus Group, Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) Conference, Company of Angels Theater (Los Angeles, CA) – August 2010 • Disposable: Ciudad Juarez and the War on Women, NYU (New York, NY) – Sept 2010 • Museum of the City of New York, Saturday Academy (New York, NY) – Oct 2010 • NYU La Herencia/ Our Journey of Empowerment Conference (New York, NY) – Nov 2010 • United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (Chicago, IL) – Feb 2011 • La Peña Cultural Center: indiVISIBLE Tour (Berkeley, CA) – Feb 2011 • AF3IRM Association of Filipinas, Feminists Fighting Imperialism, Re-­‐feudalization, and Marginalization (New York, NY) – March 2011 • Celebrating Cesar Chavez at The Point in the South Bronx (New York, NY) – April 2011 • 7 Stages indiVISIBLE (Atlanta, GA) – April 2011 • Earsay, Transforming Trauma into Art -­‐ Repertorio Español (New York, NY) – June 2011 • Latino Student Union – University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (Milwaukee, WI) – Oct 2011 • Rainbow Theater – University of CA, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA) – Feb 2012 • The Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights – Columbia University (New York, NY) – Feb 2012 • Week of Women Speakers, Washington State University (Pullman, Washington) – Feb 2012 • Association of Latin American Students, Bradley University (Peoria, IL) – March 2012 • Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc., Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ) – November 2012 • Pi Lambda Chi Latina, University of Colorado, Boulder (Boulder, CO) – March 2013 • La Casa Latina, University of Illinois, Urbana-­‐Champaign (Urbana, IL) – April 2013 • One Journey U.S./Mexico Border Tour Fall 2013 Laredo Community College (Laredo, TX); Teatro Vivo (Austin, TX); The Carlotta Cultural Center (Brownsville, TX); Casa de la Cultura (Del Rio, TX); South Texas College (McAllen, TX); Mercado Mayapan (El Paso, TX); El Chante: Casa de Cultura/ Los Jardines-­‐-­‐Institute (Albuquerque, NM); Tohono O’odham Community College (Sells, AZ); Phoenix Hostel and Cultural Center/ Phoenix Center for the Arts (Phoenix, AZ); Southside Worker Center (Tucson, AZ); Centro Cultural de la Raza (San Diego, CA); Blu Elefant Café (Los Angeles, CA); Corazon Del Pueblo (Los Angeles, CA); Rock Rose Gallery (Los Angeles, CA) Technical Needs (Tech Rider available upon request) A projector and backdrop/screen A bench (preferably) or chair Production Costs (Fees are negotiable depending on service provided and hosting institution.) Traveling Expenses Not Included in Honorarium: Flight Lodging Per Diem 1 Performance and post discussion: $2,000 1 Performance, post discussion and theater/community building workshop: $2,500 2 Performances, discussions and workshops: $3,000 Booking Contact Yadira De La Riva [email protected] 510-­‐-­‐495-­‐-­‐5597