WELCOMING THE STRANGER, a free, virtual performance Wednesday, October 28 at 6PM.
For more information about Motus Theater or to RSVP for this free, virtual event, please
visit: http://www.motustheater.org/events
Motus Theater, the non-profit organization creating original theater to facilitate dialogue on the critical issues of our time, has announced a free,
virtual Welcoming the Stranger national performance in collaboration with National Justice for our Neighbors. The performance will feature special guest readers from NJFON: Rev. Mark
Salvacion, the E.D. of Delaware Valley JFON (currently located in PA) and the Pastor of Historic St. George’s United Methodist Church in Old City Philadelphia; Rev. Dr. Will Reed,
the Board Chair for the Houston JFON and Pastor of the First United Methodist Church, Pasadena; Claudia Marchan, the E.D. of Northern Illinois JFON in the greater Chicago area
with a background in community organizing, community development and financial management; and Alba Jaramillo, the E.D. of Arizona JFON with her own theater company,
Teatro Dignidad, and a background in social justice, human rights and the arts. The reading will be followed by both personal and theological reflections on the importance of sacred
hospitality and the impact of stepping into the shoes of an undocumented person. The performance will include a musical response from esteemed Uruguayan guitar soloist Elisa
Garcia.
The UndocuAmerica monologues read aloud in this performance feature themes including familial love, strength and protection; exploitative underpayment for labor; racial profiling by
police; reflections on citizen apathy and the sustained democratic efforts by the undocumented community; the danger of slandarous and dehumanizing rhetoric; and a call to people of faith to
embrace moral teachings of scripture.
Welcoming the Stranger, a series of virtual presentations in which faith leaders read aloud the artfully crafted personal stories of undocumented Motus monologists, is one of several
programs developed by Motus Theater as part of Shoebox Stories – a unique “story-holding” project where community leaders, law enforcement, religious leaders, and other prominent
Americans step into the shoes of Motus’ undocumented monologists by reading their stories aloud. The goal of these performances is to build empathy for, and understanding of, the
undocumented immigrant experience and, most importantly, to amplify the voices of our undocumented neighbors to disrupt the false narratives currently circulating in the mainstream
media.
“I am participating in Motus Theater’s and Justice For Our Neighbors’ production of Welcoming the Stranger because their stories are MY story. And collectively, the stories
told in Welcoming the Stranger are the stories of OUR nation,” said Reverend Mark Salvacion. “As the son of immigrants to the United States from the Philippines, my family
encountered many of the same issues addressed in these stories. At this time in our nation’s history, the stories of undocumented persons require people of faith to come
together and take action – not only to “welcome the stranger” as required by our faith traditions, but also to raise awareness about the exclusion of God’s people from the fruits of
our country by our nation’s often cruel immigration system.”
About National Justice for our Neighbors National Justice For Our Neighbors provides oversight and support to a network of 17 sites
across the country, providing free/low-cost immigration legal services to vulnerable low-income immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers. As part of long commitment to
refugees and immigrants, NJFON also engages in advocacy for immigrant justice, and offers education to communities of faith and to the public. For more information, please visit:
About Motus Theater
Motus Theater is a theater company and non-profit founded in 2011 whose mission is to create original theater to facilitate dialogue on the critical issues of our time. Based in
Boulder, Colorado, Motus Theater tells moving stories that move us forward, using the power of art to build alliances across diverse segments of our community. For more information
about Motus Theater and how to get involved, please visit: https://www.motustheater.org or call (720) 432- 2004.