TRIAL BY JURY: A Case of Deportation Comes to The Broad Stage, 10/23

The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica presents Trial By Jury: A Case of Deportation, a one-of-a-kind interactive event on October 23 at 7:30pm. This latest installment of the ongoing series will feature panelists Mohammad Tajsar, Staff Attorney at the ACLU of Southern California, and poet Angela Aguirre. Additional speakers will be announced at a later date.

Trial By Jury: A Case of Deportation is a participatory theater program, produced by Kyle D. Bowser, which examines the conflicting mandates of contemporary immigration policy and the precepts of constitutional freedoms. Should cherished rights and liberties be extended to non-citizens residing in the United States, and if so, do those rights supersede the ideological imperatives of political power? A short film dramatizing a deportation trial is followed by a jury deliberation and live audience debate about the case and its underlying issues. Ultimately, the audience votes to affirm or renounce existing immigration policy.

Panelist, Mohammad Tajsar's work primarily focuses on national security and counterterrorism policy, with a particular focus on the impacts of national security law on Arab, Muslim, Middle Eastern, and South Asian communities. Mohammad also works on police misconduct, government surveillance, and protecting individuals' and organization's rights in the digital world.

Mohammad's current docket includes Fazaga v. FBI, a challenge to the FBI's surveillance of mosques in Orange County, and ACLU of Southern California v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a Freedom of Information Act suit seeking records concerning the Trump's administration's implementation of the original Muslim ban. Prior to joining the ACLU, Mohammad served as an associate at Hadsell Stormer & Renick LLP, a Pasadena-based law firm specializing in civil rights and workers' rights. Mohammad began his legal career as a law clerk in United States District Court for the District of Nevada and a legal fellow at the ACLU of Southern California. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, and from UCLA.

Poet, Angela Aguirre will open the program by performing a spoken work piece pertinent to the program entitled "Borderland." Angela is a Chicana Feminist poet from Pasadena with a BA from CSULA in Communication Studies, with an emphasis in Rhetoric and Social Change. She has performed at large events such as the Adelante Mujer Latina conference and the YWCA Women for Racial Justice Breakfast. Her work has been featured by The Huffington Post, Latina Magazine, and All Def Digital. As a teaching artist, Angela teaches poetry workshops at dozens of high schools, universities, and organizations, such as InsideOut Writers, Homeboy Industries, and La Pintoresca Teen Education Center. Her book, Confessions of a Firework, was published in 2016 by the World Stage Press. Angela was also named Woman of the Year for her involvement in the community by California Senator Anthony Portantino.

About Kyle D. Bowser, Esq. (Creator)
For more than two decades, Kyle Bowser has worked as an entertainment industry executive in film, television, music, theater, radio, and new media, giving him unique insight into the intersecting parameters of the performing arts, business development, and emerging technologies.

Bowser began at NBC Business Affairs in New York City. He later moved to Los Angeles to join Fox, Inc., where he developed television programming of multiple genres and creatively managed primetime programming for Fox Broadcasting Company. Hit shows under Bowser's purview included In Living Color, Roc, and Shaky Ground. He next served as Director of Creative Affairs for HBO Independent Productions. There his programming inventory included Martin and Roc, both of which aired on Fox.

Steady career progression led Kyle Bowser to the founding of Res Ipsa Media, Inc., a multi-media Production Company that has held development deals with Warner Bros., Home Box Office, and 3 Arts Entertainment. The company has developed and produced an array of multimedia projects, including film projects A Line in the Sand (Showtime); For One Night (Lifetime); the sitcom series, For Your Love (The WB); the reality drama, Trial By Jury (UPN); the variety series, Midnight Mac (HBO); Kevin Hart's Halftime House Party (Facebook Live); the E! Super Bowl special (E!); the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration (Gospel Music Channel); Sunday Dinner (Cooking Channel); three sitcom pilots: The Weekenders (Comedy Central), ColorTV (Fox), and The Thing About Family (NBC); the NAMIC Vision Awards (Starz!); the Living Single Soundtrack (Warner Bros. Records); successful stage productions; and the very impactful audio Bible, The Bible Experience, winner of the Audio Book of the Year award.

A native of Philadelphia, PA, Kyle Bowser received his Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio University in Radio/Television and Film Communications and a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

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