Bordering on Reality : News Events Make ‘De Donde?’ More Meaningful for Rancho Santiago Cast

SANTA ANA — Last month’s beating of illegal immigrants by Riverside County sheriff’s deputies has divided many people. Some denounce the officers as brutal; others say it’s wrong to sympathize with Mexican nationals who broke U.S. law.

It’s a clear dividing line, one that Barbara Covington has seen where she works. She’s a drama instructor at Rancho Santiago College in Santa Ana and currently directing the student production of “De Donde?”

The Riverside incident naturally came up during rehearsals for Mary Gallagher’s emotional drama, which centers on the plight of Central Americans who cross the border illegally and then seek political asylum in the United States. And when the incident did arise, so did the heat.

“It’s really such a hot issue right now [that] when people try to talk about it [they] just get angry and upset,” Covington said. “I could see that was going to be a problem with my [multiracial] cast, so when we talk about that or other things, I try to turn the conversation into intercultural communication.

“I’ve found that some are surprised” by what happened in Riverside and what occurs in “De Donde?,” which has moments of violence. “They tend to be the ones who haven’t been exposed to much diversity, whether they are white, Latino or Asian.

Covington continued: “Others aren’t that surprised. . . . I have two or three [actors] who weren’t born here and have green cards. They don’t seem surprised at all.”

Though she’s uncomfortable drawing a direct connection between Riverside and “De Donde?,” Covington does agree that there may be extra interest in her production because of the incident. So much the better, she said, if people show up because of either curiosity or outrage concerning unlawful immigrants and the institutions that monitor them.

“Do we hope that people will come out and see it? Absolutely,” Covington said. “We picked ‘De Donde?’ about a year ago, so this is really a coincidence, but it may create an added awareness of the war that’s going on near our borders.

“We’re happy [the issue has] been brought to the forefront. Maybe there will be change, maybe reform.”

That said, Covington stressed that “De Donde?” is not specifically a political play. It’s more about the human consequences of our system and the people who come here.

To give it authenticity, playwright Gallagher reportedly spent several months gathering information on both sides of the border in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. The title translates to “where are you from?”--probably the first question the authorities ask anyone they suspect is an illegal immigrant.

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The play moves back and forth through several linking characters, including a mute woman from El Salvador whose quest for asylum is met with indifference or hostility, an idealistic paralegal trying to help her, a Hispanic border cop and his girlfriend, who identifies with the refugees and is shocked by his cruelty.

As backdrop are the Latinos living on the U.S. side. They worked hard for what they have and are suspicious of the new arrivals. Tensions escalate, and even a nun worries about reprisals if she harbors fugitives.

“De Donde?” has received kudos since premiering in Cincinnati in early 1990, at which time a New York Times critic noted that while it may sound like pure agitprop, the drama is far from preachy.

“The approach is exploratory rather than hortatory--the opposite, in other words, of a Costa-Gavras film,” Mel Gussow wrote in his review of the premiere at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.

“Ms. Gallagher does not lose sight of the abuses of liberty, some of them absurd. One of her strongest suits . . . is her sense of irony, which asserts itself even in tense situations.”

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Covington agrees, adding that the play’s strength can be traced to Gallagher’s decision not to choose favorites.

“The best thing is that it humanizes the people on both sides,” she said. “You really get an idea of why things are happening, I mean, for all the people involved. I see sympathy for everyone” in her writing.

“What’s most important [is that] we can learn from this. My students have not only learned about acting but also something of what’s going on at the border. We can all use that insight.”

* Rancho Santiago College’s production of Mary Gallagher’s “De Donde?” is at the campus’ Phillips Hall Little Theatre 1530 W. 17th St., Santa Ana. Curtain tonight: 8 p.m. Performances Thursday through Saturday (except May 9 and 10) at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. through May 19. $6 and $8. (714) 564-5661.