Nowhere On The Border

Critics

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Reviews: 13

Audience

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The Road Theatre Company

Presents the Second Show of its 2019-2020 Season

A Newly Revised and Re-Written Production of

NOWHERE ON

THE BORDER

Written by CARLOS LACÁMARA

Directed by STEWART J. ZULLY

Limited Engagement opens Friday, January 17

at The Road on Magnolia!

THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANY and Taylor Gilbert, Founder/Artistic Director together with Sam Anderson, Artistic Director,

present the second show of the Road’s 2019-2020 season, a newly revised and re-written production of NOWHERE ON THE BORDER, written by Carlos Lacámara and directed by Stewart J. Zully. NOWHERE ON THE BORDER will preview on Tuesday, January 14; Wednesday, January 15 & Thursday, January 16 at 8pm; will open on Friday, January 17, 2020 at 8pm and run through Sunday, March 8 at the Road Theatre on Magnolia, located in The NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.

 A border watch volunteer confronts a Mexican man who claims to be looking for his missing daughter. Set in a hostile wasteland between nations, NOWHERE ON THE BORDER reveals the personal dramas that drive people to cross borders both physical and emotional.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST

 CARLOS LACÁMARA (Playwright) A professional actor for over thirty years, Carlos Lacámara began his writing career after visiting Cuba in April 2000. Having been only two years old when his family left, Carlos was moved by the hardships of life on the island. His observations and conversations inspired him to write the play, Becoming Cuban, which The Los Angeles Times called “A rare, insightful new play,” and the LA Weekly proclaimed the “Best Political Drama of 2002.” Set in an advertising agency during Fidel Castroʼs revolution, Carlos Lacámaraʼs next play, Havana Bourgeois, was presented at the 59E59th Theater in New York City, The Hayworth in Los Angeles and The Miracle Theater in Miami. His play, Nowhere on the Border, won The MetLife and Hola awards for best new play. The play also enjoyed productions at Repertorio Espanol in Manhattan and Stageworks Hudson in New York. Portland’s Artist’s Repertory Theatre produced Carlos’ third Cuban play, Exiles, which focuses on the turbulent Mariel Boatlift of 1980. Artist’s Rep also presented Carlos’ first musical play, Cuba Libre, which showcases the music of the world-renowned Timba band, Tiempo Libre. Cuba Libre is currently in development for a second production. Carlos has co-authored four one-hour television pilots: “Adam and Eve,” written with wife, television show-runner Carol Barbee, and bought by Amazon Studios, “Eagle Pass,” optioned by Braun Entertainment, “Prophesy,” optioned by Fox TV Studios and “San Juan,” optioned by CBS Studios. His screenplays include, “Killing Time” and “Children of Conscience,” both commissioned by Dark Light Pictures.

 STEWART J. ZULLY (Director) has been working for over thirty-five years as a director, actor, producer, writer and teacher.  For The Road, he directed the award-winning White Guy On the Bus, by Bruce Graham.  In 2017 he co-produced the Road’s Summer Playwright’s Festival.  In 2016 he directed the Ovation nominated Martha, by Ellen Melaver (a one-woman show about Martha Graham) at the LGBT Center in Hollywood, which moved to The Whitefire Theatre for a six-month run in 2017.  Other recent credits include two plays at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills; Two Sisters, by Gail Louw, and American Wee-Pie, by Lisa Dillman.

Stewart has directed in Los Angeles, New York, Florida and Canada, premiering pieces by David Lindsay-Abaire, Romulus Linney, Peter Tolan, Rolin Jones and Marco Ramirez.  Other directing credits include Joan’s Show: An Evening with Joan Copeland, highlighting Ms. Copeland’s career as an original member of The Actor’s Studio and recollections of a life in show business (as well as being the sister of Arthur Miller).  Stewart also directed the east coast premiere of Kent R. Brown’s In The Middle of Nowhere (recipient of the prestigious Julie Harris Award) in Florida and in 2008 he directed three new works at City Theatre’s Summer Shorts Series at The Arsht Center in Miami.  The festival is part of America’s Short Play Festival, in conjunction with The Actor’s Theater of Louisville.  Other credits include Abraham Tetenbaum’s Heat of Re-Entry, which The LA Times called, “One of the best plays of the year.” Stewart co-wrote and co-produced the feature film “Perfect Opposites,” which stars Piper Perabo, Aaron Paul, Joe Pantoliano, Jennifer Tilly, Martin Henderson and Artie Lange. The movie is based on the stage play A Piece of My Heart, by Matt Cooper, which Stewart directed at The Odyssey Theater in Los Angeles.  He recently published his memoir, “MY LIFE IN YANKEE STADIUM 40 Years as a Vendor and Other Tales of Growing Up Somewhat Sane in The Bronx.”

 

The cast of NOWHERE ON THE BORDER will feature: Chet Grissom, Jonathan Nichols, Natalie Llerena, Leandro Cano, Diana DeLaCruz, Thom Rivera and Mackenzie Redvers Bryce.

 The Design Team for NOWHERE ON THE BORDER is as follows: Scenic Design by Paul Dufresne; Lighting Design by Derrick McDaniel; Projection Design by Nicholas Santiago; Sound Design by David B. Marling; Costume Design by Mary Jane Miller; Properties Design by Christine Joëlle and Megan Moran; Fight Choreography by Bjørn Johnson.

The Production Stage Manager is Maurie Gonzalez. NOWHERE ON THE BORDER is produced by Ray Paolantonio and Brian M. Cole.

 SCHEDULE AND PRICING

 NOWHERE ON THE BORDER will preview on Tuesday, January 14; Wednesday, January 15 & Thursday, January 16 at 8pm; will open on Friday, January 17 at 8pm and run through Sunday, March 8 at the Road Theatre on Magnolia, located in The NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.        

Performances are Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm.  Ticket prices are $34; Students and Seniors are $15.00; Previews are $15.00.  Sunday Performances are Pay-What-You-Can.  Special group rates available for parties of 8 or more.  For tickets, please call 818-761-8838 or visit www.RoadTheatre.org to purchase tickets online or to view complete schedule. 

      

Reviews

...the Road Theatre Company production of “Nowhere on the Border,” while slightly too on-the-nose with its message, invokes adept acting and direction to successfully spotlight one of today’s most topical issues.

sweet - Nikki Munoz - LA Times - ...read full review


The performances are spectacular, each actor subtly and yet still forcibly touching minds and hearts at every turn.  Reminding us all that we are all of us the same, all of us needing love and safety and a sense of purpose.  This play is gorgeously constructed, with pathos and wit and style.  The direction is light enough for these stellar actors to find themselves in their parts and bold enough to support the very big themes the play contains.

sweet - Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros - NoHo Arts District - ...read full review


NOWHERE ON THE BORDER is timely and thought-provoking in an era where political realities may often clash with humanitarian concerns. The talented cast successfully tell the story while treading the fine line between melodrama and reality, kindness and anger, dreams and the mystical.

sweet - Elaine Mura - Splash Magazines - ...read full review


Director Stewart J. Zully draws passionate yet understated performances from the cast. Grissom’s Gary hides his vulnerability under a hardnosed veneer, while Nichols’ Roberto reveals subtle humor, sensitivity and world weariness. Thom Riviera’s smuggler offers ironic humor while Llerena brings fierce strength to despairing Pilar...

Intense and insightful, Nowhere On The Border deftly captures what it means to feel secure and to find home.

sweet - Mary Mallory - Tolucan Times - ...read full review


Nowhere on the Border offers theatergoers a gentle, semi-heart-tugging reminder of the people and struggles behind the headlines. It likely preaches to the choir. It doesn’t challenge or offer uncomfortable truths, complex characters, or even a unique perspective. It has nothing new to say. While some people are more than happy to bathe in a warm tub of previously established beliefs, others need more compelling reasons to enter a theater.

sweet-sour - Marc Wheeler - Stage and Cinema - ...read full review


Much of th time, I felt breathless through some of the scenes as I watched this production, not the easiest, but worth every minute of it.

sweet - Carol Kaufman Segal - Carol's Culture Corner - ...read full review


Carlos Lacamara’s well-meaning play is a sobering reminder of the personal humanity that too often gets lost in the grander scheme of things as the issue of illegal immigration invariably becomes more political than altruistic. Unfortunately, although the Road’s usual production values are exemplary as always and the play has its moments, Lacamara’s language often bordering on the beautifully poetic, NOWHERE ON THE BORDER indeed goes nowhere that isn’t achingly predictable.

sweet-sour - Travis Michael Holder - Ticket Holders LA - ...read full review


The emotional weight of the play rests on the shoulders of proud Roberto’s family. Against his wishes, Pilar has paid a coyote to get her across the border so she can live a normal married life with her husband Nardo, who has been gone for three years now, evaporated into the maw of low-paid immigrant-wage agribusiness. When we meet Roberto, he is waiting in a stretch of desert that he located on a map drawn by someone who believes he saw Pilar.

This happens to be the area Gary is patrolling, officiously geared up like an overgrown Boy Scout with a spanking uniform, advanced communications systems, and weapons—gun, knife, pepper spray, and rope. He obviously enjoys pushing his limited authority around. While Roberto’s story as a former copper miner is patently pathetic, Gary’s isn’t much better. He’s a former steelworker now reduced to helping out in his wife’s Hallmark store. He recites what he deals with on a daily basis: greeting cards, ribbons, bows, wrapping paper. Quite a comedown from his former livelihood.

sweet - Eric Gordon - People's World - ...read full review


Nowhere on the Border is playwright Carlos Lacámara’s sensitive, imaginatively crafted take on the various perspectives surrounding illegal immigration — a particularly timely topic given our current political climate. Unfortunately, as directed by Stewart J. Zully, the material’s potential to move us is only occasionally realized, while the performances are of varying quality.

sweet-sour - Iris Mann - Stage Raw - ...read full review


Is this a 'good' play? Are the actors 'good'?  Did director, Stuart J. Zully, do a good job? Certainly, the herculean effort that The Road Theatre puts into each of their productions I've seen in the past is undeniably 'good' when it comes to  sincerity. This play is timely and very important as we observe blatant prejudice and the exploitation of human beings by other human beings in our real world of today.

sweet - Michael Sheehan - On Stage Los Angeles - ...read full review


The excellent cast all make the most of Lacamara’s rich and characterful dialogue, with Nichols being particularly strong as the wise and wily Roberto.

Recommended

sweet - Guy Picot - Gia on the Move - ...read full review


NOWHERE ON THE BORDER is a very well created stage piece. It’s also sit within a timely subject that’s been part of the domestic political field. Although it doesn’t take any stand or sides about the entry of undocumented aliens or its consequences, it shows the physical and emotional side of what people will do to seek a better life no matter what it may take. And this form of life is accessible to all.

sweet - Rich Borowy - Accessibly Live Off-Line - ...read full review


I would have loved tseeing Nowhere On The Border as a Gary-Roberto two-hander, and I’d like to have heard its “Spanish-language” dialog delivered the way Spanish would sound to a native speaker’s ears. As is, about half of Road Theatre Company’s latest hits the mark.

sweet-sour - Steven Stanley - StageSceneLA - ...read full review


...the Road Theatre Company production of “Nowhere on the Border,” while slightly too on-the-nose with its message, invokes adept acting and direction to successfully spotlight one of today’s most topical issues.

sweet - Nikki Munoz - LA Times - ...read full review


The performances are spectacular, each actor subtly and yet still forcibly touching minds and hearts at every turn.  Reminding us all that we are all of us the same, all of us needing love and safety and a sense of purpose.  This play is gorgeously constructed, with pathos and wit and style.  The direction is light enough for these stellar actors to find themselves in their parts and bold enough to support the very big themes the play contains.

sweet - Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros - NoHo Arts District - ...read full review


NOWHERE ON THE BORDER is timely and thought-provoking in an era where political realities may often clash with humanitarian concerns. The talented cast successfully tell the story while treading the fine line between melodrama and reality, kindness and anger, dreams and the mystical.

sweet - Elaine Mura - Splash Magazines - ...read full review


Director Stewart J. Zully draws passionate yet understated performances from the cast. Grissom’s Gary hides his vulnerability under a hardnosed veneer, while Nichols’ Roberto reveals subtle humor, sensitivity and world weariness. Thom Riviera’s smuggler offers ironic humor while Llerena brings fierce strength to despairing Pilar...

Intense and insightful, Nowhere On The Border deftly captures what it means to feel secure and to find home.

sweet - Mary Mallory - Tolucan Times - ...read full review


Nowhere on the Border offers theatergoers a gentle, semi-heart-tugging reminder of the people and struggles behind the headlines. It likely preaches to the choir. It doesn’t challenge or offer uncomfortable truths, complex characters, or even a unique perspective. It has nothing new to say. While some people are more than happy to bathe in a warm tub of previously established beliefs, others need more compelling reasons to enter a theater.

sweet-sour - Marc Wheeler - Stage and Cinema - ...read full review


Much of th time, I felt breathless through some of the scenes as I watched this production, not the easiest, but worth every minute of it.

sweet - Carol Kaufman Segal - Carol's Culture Corner - ...read full review


Carlos Lacamara’s well-meaning play is a sobering reminder of the personal humanity that too often gets lost in the grander scheme of things as the issue of illegal immigration invariably becomes more political than altruistic. Unfortunately, although the Road’s usual production values are exemplary as always and the play has its moments, Lacamara’s language often bordering on the beautifully poetic, NOWHERE ON THE BORDER indeed goes nowhere that isn’t achingly predictable.

sweet-sour - Travis Michael Holder - Ticket Holders LA - ...read full review


The emotional weight of the play rests on the shoulders of proud Roberto’s family. Against his wishes, Pilar has paid a coyote to get her across the border so she can live a normal married life with her husband Nardo, who has been gone for three years now, evaporated into the maw of low-paid immigrant-wage agribusiness. When we meet Roberto, he is waiting in a stretch of desert that he located on a map drawn by someone who believes he saw Pilar.

This happens to be the area Gary is patrolling, officiously geared up like an overgrown Boy Scout with a spanking uniform, advanced communications systems, and weapons—gun, knife, pepper spray, and rope. He obviously enjoys pushing his limited authority around. While Roberto’s story as a former copper miner is patently pathetic, Gary’s isn’t much better. He’s a former steelworker now reduced to helping out in his wife’s Hallmark store. He recites what he deals with on a daily basis: greeting cards, ribbons, bows, wrapping paper. Quite a comedown from his former livelihood.

sweet - Eric Gordon - People's World - ...read full review


Nowhere on the Border is playwright Carlos Lacámara’s sensitive, imaginatively crafted take on the various perspectives surrounding illegal immigration — a particularly timely topic given our current political climate. Unfortunately, as directed by Stewart J. Zully, the material’s potential to move us is only occasionally realized, while the performances are of varying quality.

sweet-sour - Iris Mann - Stage Raw - ...read full review


Is this a 'good' play? Are the actors 'good'?  Did director, Stuart J. Zully, do a good job? Certainly, the herculean effort that The Road Theatre puts into each of their productions I've seen in the past is undeniably 'good' when it comes to  sincerity. This play is timely and very important as we observe blatant prejudice and the exploitation of human beings by other human beings in our real world of today.

sweet - Michael Sheehan - On Stage Los Angeles - ...read full review


The excellent cast all make the most of Lacamara’s rich and characterful dialogue, with Nichols being particularly strong as the wise and wily Roberto.

Recommended

sweet - Guy Picot - Gia on the Move - ...read full review


NOWHERE ON THE BORDER is a very well created stage piece. It’s also sit within a timely subject that’s been part of the domestic political field. Although it doesn’t take any stand or sides about the entry of undocumented aliens or its consequences, it shows the physical and emotional side of what people will do to seek a better life no matter what it may take. And this form of life is accessible to all.

sweet - Rich Borowy - Accessibly Live Off-Line - ...read full review


I would have loved tseeing Nowhere On The Border as a Gary-Roberto two-hander, and I’d like to have heard its “Spanish-language” dialog delivered the way Spanish would sound to a native speaker’s ears. As is, about half of Road Theatre Company’s latest hits the mark.

sweet-sour - Steven Stanley - StageSceneLA - ...read full review