Finding 'Ghosts' in the river

A new play about the human side of immigration
comes to San Jose. Teatro Vision photo

In the midst of a stirring national debate on immigration, a new production by San Francisco’s Shadowlight Theatre Company attempts to put a human face on the discussion.
Well, more like a human shadow.
The world premiere of Ghosts of the River, which will be performed at San Jose’s Teatro Vision and will continue its run at San Francisco’s Brava Theatre Center, will kick off the Teatro's 25th anniversary season on Thursday, Oct. 1st.
The play is one that is sculpted by the ancient art form that is Balinese shadow puppetry, also known as Wayang Kulit. These puppets are generally two-dimensional, and accentuate space, both positive and negative, and shapes. It is these shapes that help establish the characters, shapes such as swirls and diamonds.
In addition to the puppetry, theatre elements such as masked-actors, cutout sets, live music and projections on a 30’ by 15’ screen help to tell the story.
The art form is the perfect marriage for the subject matter. The play focuses on five vignettes that deal with the encounters of various people with the Rio Grande River.
Award winning San Francisco-based playwright Octavio Solis brings his firsthand knowledge of the river and its haunting prowess to the script. Solis grew up in El Paso, Texas, less than a mile from the river, and constructed his stories from extensive interviews with residents, immigrants, law enforcement officers, and immigration lawyers in the city.

Shapes such as diamonds and swirls help accentuate the art of Balinese
shadow puppetry, also known as Wayang Kulit. Teatro Vision photo

“Every [person] who has ever crossed [the Rio Grande] has left a part of themselves in the shallows, in the reeds…their identities, their pasts, and even their lives,” said Solis in a press release. “Ever since it became a line of demarcation between the U.S. and Mexico, this river has borne stories of heartbreak, hope, terror and renewal and in its black sooty waters, I feel the ghosts of those stories beckoning me to write them down.”
Marc David Pinate, a renowned local performing artist and a member of the cast, feels that utilizing storytelling elements such as ghost stories, imagery and magic create a perfect lens to view an incendiary issue such as immigration. “We have heard the hard, political arguments on both sides of the issue, but the power of art to address these types of things is in its ability to indirectly speak about issues, as well as to tell the ‘story’ that you don't get from the news, the context,” said Pinate.

Although the play’s subject matter is embroiled in headlines across the country, which has created a national schism that will come to a head in the very near future, the play’s goal is not to take a stand one way or the other. According to Pinate, the critical nature and power of the script will attempt to inject humanity into the audience member’s heart.
“This play does not seek to be a political statement, nevertheless, one cannot watch it without thinking about immigration in ways we don't often,” said Pinate.
Theatre is often at its best when it inspires dialogue, inspires discussion, and inspires action. The action may come in the form of picking up a book, writing a story, composing a song. In this case, a deeper level of understanding the human side of this issue would go a long way in building a stronger public discourse.
“There are some very, very moving moments in this piece that really humanize immigrants,” said Pinate. “Furthermore, border culture takes center stage and this, merging of language, myths and culture is a preview of the future for the entire human race.”

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