USA Projects

OUTSIDE THE CIRCLE is a new play written in collaboration with Andrea Assaf and Samuel Valdez, examining what love is, and what happens to love when we internalize society’s phobias. As co-creators, we will also perform in this new bi-national theater work, directed by Dora Arreola. In the play, a straight man with cerebral palsy and a non-disabled queer woman recount their adventures, and share their woes, of unsuccessful attempts to seduce (straight) women. Their lives on both sides of the border intersect one night, when they meet at a Tijuana bar, and become entwined in each other’s stories. Their parallel and interweaving tales of unrequited love reveal the illusions of normalcy, and the liberation possible when choosing life…outside the circle. The theaters supporting this project – in Minneapolis, Denver and San Antonio – are very excited about the ways we can bring communities together around this provocative and heart-warming play … But WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT to finish the production (sets, costumes, sound design, etc.) in time for the March premiere!

The project’s focus is to create more awareness among diverse audiences about the roles queer and differently-abled individuals have in society, as human beings who also love and need companionship. The play creates opportunities to bring people together across identies – Latino/a, queer, differently-abled communities together with general audiences. With each presentation of this performance, we’ll have a dialogue that will give participants the chance to ask questions, discuss and learn together – a dialogue that, we hope, each community will continue long after the play moves on to the next town. My hope is that, through this process, our communities will all understand our issues better.

I am a theater director, playwright, and actor with cerebral palsy who lives in Tijuana, B.C., Mexico. My co-writer, Andrea Assaf, is an Arab American theater and spoken word artist. Dora Arreola is a movement-theater director of exceptional expertise and training, originally from Mexico, who has directed and collaborated with both Andrea and me on previous original works. The cast will also include Maria Vale, an actress from Mexico who’s affiliated with Dora Arreola’s company, Mujeres en Ritual. This project brings us together, for the first time, in a new creative process. Outside the Circle is a funny, heart-breaking, experimental piece about the trials and tribulations of love – one that illuminates the limits of social constructs and opens the question of liberation in new ways.

Our MINIMUM GOAL of $3500 will help us meet our creative production needs, such as set and costume design and building, sound design, props and equipment rentals, etc. In other words, your contributions will help us fulfill our CREATIVE VISION for the March premiere!

If we can reach BEYOND the minimum necessary, to our $5000 GOAL, you’ll help us achieve the funding needed to TOUR TO MEXICO with a Spanish-dominant version of the play! We know there is already interest in Baja California, Mexico City, and Zacatecas (which has a state-wide program for youth with disabilities!) – we just need you to help us get there. OUTSIDE THE CIRCLE is an Art2Action production, supported by NALAC (National Association of Latino Arts and Culture) and co-commissioned by Pangea World Theater, El Centro Su Teatro, and the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, and the National Performance Network (NPN) Creation Fund.  We are immensely grateful to all these organizations for their contributions to this daring work … But still, WE STILL NEED YOU to help make the full project a reality!  Because this is touring project, the start-up funds are not enough to cover all the costs.  For this reason, I present myself to you, my virtual community, to ask for your support in making this project come alive.