ArtsEmerson Announces WET: A DACAMENTED JOURNEY
By: Julie Musbach Oct. 12, 2018
ArtsEmerson, Boston's leading presenter of contemporary world theatre, is thrilled to welcome and co-commission the U.S. tour performances of Cara Mía Theatre and Ignite/Arts Dallas's fierce and fast-paced first-person narrative, WET: A DACAmented Journey. Written and performed by award winning actor, writer, and spoken word artist Alex Alpharaoh (LA), WET humanizes the headlines of our current immigration debate by capturing one man's relentless and riveting true story toward becoming a documented citizen. The production runs three weeks at the Emerson Paramount Center's Jackie Liebergott Black Box, located at 559 Washington Street in downtown Boston. Tickets can be purchased for $60 online at www.ArtsEmerson.org, by phone at 617.824.8400, or in person at the box office. Student, senior and group discounts are available.
"Alex has undertaken something both brave and immense here, in simply daring to tell his story of living in the liminal space of the DACAmented in this country," says Artistic Director David Dower. "You think you know this story. You don't know this story. The news is confusing and insufficient to grasp what's happening. And it's overwhelming, tempting us to just go numb to the human consequences of the systems and the policies -- and the lack of systems and the lack of policies -- that hang over even the smallest of decisions our undocumented neighbors face every day. By stepping out, Alex is putting himself both in the crosshairs and in the spotlight, and we're proud that ArtsEmerson can support his effort to inspire us to action, and finally bring him and all DACAmented Americans out of the shadows and into full citizenship."
WET: A DACAmented Journey-which rockets between hilarity and heartbreak-will instantly humanize the headlines and take audiences inside the realities of striving for a better life under the extreme conditions of living life as a political football. Alpharaoh, a social worker who knows firsthand the mental, emotional and psychological hardship of this unending process, risks his own freedom to share his story in this nationwide tour.
Alex Alpharaoh (Writer and Performer) is an award-winning stage and film actor, writer, director, producer, spoken word artist, solo performer, and teaching artist from Los Angeles. He has performed in various venues and open mics throughout Los Angeles, including Da Poetry Lounge, SundayJump, Washington D.C.'s Busboys and Poets, and New York's renowned Nuyorican Cafe. As a teaching artist, Alpharaoh teaches a highly popular Fundamentals of Spoken Word and Performance Poetry class, advising individuals on how to connect with their deeper selves, using their words and expressions as a form of healing.
Alpharaoh is the creator of SP!T: Spoken Word Theatre, a series he originally developed at Urban Theatre Movement, where he is a founding member. His last SP!T production Don't Talk About It, SP!T About It was world premiered at CASA 0101 Theater in the summer of 2016. SP!T continues to grow in popularity, including a special one-night performance that was part of Da Poetry Lounge's 1st Annual L.A. Get Down Festival in April, 2017.
Founded in 1996 as the first Dallas theatre to focus on the Chicano experience, Cara Mía Theatre (CMT) has since expanded its focus to all Latinos living in the United States. As CMT's cultural breadth has expanded over the years, the company's artistic approach has also evolved, especially since the arrival of current Executive Artistic Director David Lozano in 2002. To further expand the company's reach to non-theatre going Latinos, Lozano chose to focus on creating new bilingual plays that were both topical and theatrically unique. Trained in physical theatre, Lozano formed a resident artistic ensemble that created new works utilizing clown and mask performance, poetic movement and collectively created plays that speak to the heart of the local Latino community in Dallas.
An initiative of SMU Meadows School off the Arts launched in 2015 to integrate artistic practice and community engagement involving SMU, Dallas and the arts field at large.
Photo Credit: Youthana Yuos
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