Golf Balls Still Hitting Big
Do Not Hit Golf Balls into Mexico, a stage work developed by the Fusion Theatre Project based at Utah State University, is one of only three works presented as part of the Salt Lake Acting Company’s 2011 Fearless Fringe Festival.
“Although we are very proud of our previous productions and their accomplishments, this third rendition reflects a new start,” said Shawn Fisher, Do Not Hit Golf Balls into Mexico playwright and associate professor of the USU theater graduate program.
The play’s main character, Calvin Wesley, a retired and broken down bus driver, must relive the night that changed his life after the bones of 12 Mexican migrants are discovered in the Arizona desert. As the days pass and the unexpected mystery gives way to a formal investigation, the truth is revealed. Life and death in the desert will never be the same for the people of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.
“The cast includes nine actors, three of whom are professionals and six others with ties to Utah State,” said Fisher. “It is very exciting for the students to be part of a professional organization that focuses on modern, cutting-edge productions.”
The acting company includes Mary Alley, John R. Belliston, Lucas Bybee, Richie Call, Shanice Holt, Jessica Jackson, Andrew Rindlisbach, Christian Seiter and Felicia Stehmeier, with stage manager Mauri Anne Smith.
The Fusion Theatre Project, an experimental theater company based at Utah State University, strongly emphasizes socially relevant themes in original progressive theater works.
This play is inspired by actual news reports and interviews conducted by company members on the U.S.-Mexico border. Do Not Hit Golf Balls into Mexico was written after Fisher and a group of USU theater students traveled to the Arizona/Mexico border to interview more than 100 people in 2009. Undocumented workers, border patrol agents, diner employees, artists and even members of the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation, split by a border fence, participated in interviews to develop the story.
After much collaboration between Fisher and several USU theater students, the play was created and performed for the first time at Utah State in April 2010. Do Not Hit Golf Balls into Mexico was also performed at the Los Angeles Theatre Center as part of the 2011 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival and was nominated for a David Mark Cohen Playwriting Award — presented in an effort to promote the writing and production of new plays.
The performance at the 2011 Fearless Fringe Festival marks the third rendition of the play.
“There has been a substantial amount of script development since the first production,” said Adrianne Moore, the play’s director and USU theatre arts department faculty member. “For this latest performance, the existing cast has been infused with new members. It’s wonderful to see the interaction between new and old cast members, which has brought a new dimension to the show overall.”
Do Not Hit Golf Balls into Mexico focuses on issues dealing with immigration from Mexico across the United States border. A number of aspects of life at the Arizona/Mexico border are openly represented throughout the play.
“My favorite part about this production is that we were able to tackle a really complicated topic, allowing the audience to see a number of different perspectives,” said Fisher. “I want the members of the audience to be inspired by the stories of real people dealing with real issues.”
The director said the play’s topical material should generate conversations.
“Since the stories in this play are so personal, the play tends to generate many questions and discussions, which is important with such a difficult subject,” said Moore.
The Salt Lake Acting Company’s 2011 Fearless Fringe Festival runs Aug. 26-28 at the Chapel Theatre located at 168 W. 500 North, Salt Lake City. Do Not Hit Golf Balls into Mexico will be shown Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 27, at 4 p.m. Tickets are available at the Chapel Theatre’s Box Office, online or by calling 801-363-7522.
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Writer: Rachelle Nielson, 435-797-9203, rachelle.nielson@usu.edu
Contact: Denise Albiston, 435-797-1500, denise.albiston@usu.edu
"Do Not Hit Golf Balls into Mexico" is part of the Salt Lake Acting Company's 2011 Fearless Fringe Festival. Originally staged at USU by Utah State Theatre, a new cast is involved in the production. This photo is from the original production.
The original poster for the Utah State Theatre presentation of "Do Not Hit Golf Balls into Mexico."
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