OCC Theatre Explores Immigration Issues in 'Rowing to America'

Orange Coast College’s theatre department is staging a collection of one-act plays titled “Rowing to America — The Immigrant Project” on the weekends of March 16–18 and March 23–25 in the Drama Lab Theatre. Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with a 2:30 p.m. matinee scheduled for Sunday, March 25.

“Rowing to America” is a collection of nine one-act plays that delve into the topics of immigration, emigration, and the migration experience in general. The plays are written by a culturally diverse group and feature characters from many different areas around the world. Some of the stories include “Oh Wild West Wind” a take on the forced march of Native Americans during the infamous “Trail of Tears,” and “Dead Bolivians,” a farce about an immigrant Mexican family whose playwright son wants to put his family in a play about immigrants.

“About 64 percent of Orange Coast College’s student population is made up of minority students, most of those Hispanic,” says director and theatre arts instructor Naomi Buckley. “I think, like most higher education institutions in California, OCC represents the shifting face of America.”

The cast for “Rowing to America” is made up of student actors, many of whom can relate to the themes found in the material being performed.

“The students have responded so well to this material. For many of them, these are stories and characters they are familiar with — this is the story of their grandfather, mother, or aunt,” says Buckley. “They also, unfortunately, are all too familiar with the assumptions that are often made about these characters, and because of that, I think they feel compelled to tell these stories with empathy and authenticity.”

OCC’s Social Justice Series was launched in 2016 in an effort to raise public awareness, and educate and engage audiences on issues related to societal injustice and human rights. As with other performances that have fallen under the banner of OCC Theatre’s Social Justice Series, information tables highlighting campus and community groups and resources will be set up before and after each performance, including a table with information about current state of the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program.

“The message of this play for me is simple: ‘Build bridges, not walls,’” says Buckley. “Let us all work to see the humanity in everyone, not just our fearful assumptions. Let us all struggle to protect dreams and lend a helping hand to those who are dreaming of better futures. Let us all remember that America was founded by immigrants who came here with high hopes — hopes that carried them across the same dangerous waters that many still cross today. People willing to risk their lives in order to live in a country that we call ‘The Land of the Free.’”