Yesterday, a group of us gathered in the Community Room at the Ocean Park Timberland Library for our first rehearsal of “American Dreams.” We weren’t all present; there’s another group meeting today. Nevertheless, this first read-through was a moving and powerful experience.
“American Dreams” is an original play by Linda Britt, a Maine playwright and director. She interviewed more than a hundred immigrants, gathering their stories, and scripting them as monologues for readers’ theater. They focus on the immigrant experience in the U.S. — an experience which varies widely depending on country of origin, race, religion, age, and location.
Yesterday we spoke the words and heard the voices of women and men from Albania and Nicaragua, from Ireland and Germany, from France and Syria and Argentina — all immigrants and each with a different story to tell. Some stories will sound familiar to audiences; some will be eye-opening in the extreme.
The production rights for “American Dreams” were purchased through an Abe Keller grant by PCIS (Pacific County Immigrant Support) whose mission is to support the needs of undocumented immigrant families threatened by arrest, detention and deportation by ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Our fabulous co-directors for this production are Sandra Nielson and Cate Gable.
Ironically (perhaps, but not really), while we were rehearsing, we learned that there have recently been seven(!) more arrests here by ICE — one a situation in which ICE smashed a car window in order to grab the driver who, reportedly, was responding to ICE demands in a lawful manner. I hope we see more about these recent situations in the Chinook Observer. I, for one, feel the need for factual information though I do appreciate the need for circumspect reporting to protect the victims.
“American Dreams” will be staged the evening of April 25th at the River City Theater in Ilwaco and the following afternoon at a small theater (TBA) in Raymond. Two days only!! Mark your calendars now. The production will provide a window into what is happening all around us, day after day — shocking abuses to community members — our neighbors! — that are the antithesis of what most of us were brought up to believe.
Sydney, thanks so much for joining the American Dreams cast and telling our community about the project. We covered a lot of topics related to the readings that were introduced at our first rehearsal and I would like to clarify two points.
The violent ICE arrest that involved dragging a young father through a car window broken by ICE officers happened in Whatcom Country (not Pacific Co.). Whatcom Co. is a northern county in Washington state and is part of the border between Wa and British Colombia.
The author Linda Britt is not charging PCIS for production rights; she donated those. The Abe Keller grant is covering local production costs like theater rental, refreshments, publicity, etc. This help enables us to offer free performances.
Like you, I am surprised our local paper has not carried any news of the last seven arrests by ICE. All of them occurred when people were going to work for the day here in Pacific County. It must be so frightening to know that showing up at work could lead to your imprisonment, possible deportation, and unimaginable struggles for your family.
You and Linda Britt have much in common, Sydney. Like her, you have interviewed immigrants and published those stories in a highly regarded series for the Observer. Her interviews became the basis for American Dreams. Both of you deserve the gratitude of your readers for helping us to see the complexities and outcomes of a system that our government needs to address. Perhaps the 2020 elections can start that process.
Hi, Sydney! I’m thrilled that you’re doing my play, but I have to make a small correction. I didn’t interview nearly that many immigrants. Some of the monologues are indeed based on people I met, but others are based on news stories and research about immigration policies. I don’t want to take credit for something I didn’t do. Thanks for writing about the play, and break a leg!