Detained In The Desert

I went to see Josefina Lopez’s world premier play, “Detained In The Desert”. Josefina, known for her popular Real Women Have Curves, was vacationing in Arizona when SB 1070 was passed. She was unable to go to protest rallies held that night because of prior family commitments but Josefina had it in her heart to do something.  In the five years between 2003 and 2007, there was a 40 percent increase in crimes against Latinos. It’s no wonder considering the proliferation of “hate talk” that spews off the radio, TV, and internet and aims at infuriating the masses. In a climate saturated with negative propaganda, fear mongering, and increasing violence, what one would consider a random act of violence is in reality not so random after all. When we create a society that is so pitted against one another, our chance encounters become unavoidable collisions between unsuspecting individuals caught within the biome of the conflicted society in which we live. It’s like walking into a room with several automatic baseball pitchers going off and getting hit. How is that random? Out of both a need and desire to make things different, Josefina wrote and co-produced “Detained In The Desert”. .

"Detained In The Desert" is a timely thought provoking play that follows the lives of two people at opposite ends of the SB 1070 law. Sandi (Elizabeth Frances) is a brown skin American citizen who defiantly refuses to show her identification when questioned by an Arizona Police Officer, Ken Beavers (Mark Burham) after he discovered her making out in a car pulled over to  the side of the road somewhere near the border. The irony is that she is with her Canadian blond haired boyfriend who doesn’t have a Visa and is never questioned. The other was Lou Becker (Carey Fox) , a radio disc jockey for KRZT 1070 in Arizona who was spreading hate talk through his well known radio talk show. Their lives collide after a series of seemingly coincidental incidents.

The theatre, Casa 0101, is small, dark, and intimate. It has a personal feel to it you don't get from a large auditorium. The casting and the actors are unforgettable, and the play settings are simple yet effective. You don't want to miss “Detained In The Desert” last weekend performance.


Detained In The Desert
October 1 - November, 21 2010
Fridays @ Saturday @ 8pm,
Sundays @ 5pm

Casa 0101 Theater
2009 East First Street
Los Angeles, CA 90033
(323) 263 7684
www.casa0101.org