As the allure of the American Dream beckons, Reina Quijada travels along a very different yellow brick road from El Salvador to the United States. Along the way, she makes friends, dodges imminent danger, and searches for the almighty "wizard" in this nod to Oz. With onstage musicians weaving together cumbia, Mexican mariachi, boleros, American rock, and hip hop, up-and-coming writer and composer Brian Quijada honors his mother in a fantastically true tale of determination, family, and friendship. This co-production takes to the People’s Light stage following a critically acclaimed run at Pittsburgh's City Theatre.
This production contains mild language and discussions of immigration and border crossing. It is recommended for ages 10+.
This co-production is presented in association with City Theatre (Pittsburgh, PA) and Pittsburgh CLO.
Individual Sponsors: John & Sarah Schmader
Video by Leo Switucha.
Relaxed Performances offer a judgment-free environment that invites individuals with autism, ADHD, dementia, and other sensory sensitivities to enjoy theatre in a relaxed, “shush-free” zone—a great option for parents with young children, too. For each Relaxed Performance, we offer a pre-show Sensory Tour, during which patrons are able to enter the theatre space, view the set and props, and ask questions. This RP features audio description and ASL interpretation.
Headsets provide commentary on the visual aspects of a performance. This supplemental narration interweaves with the real-time, spoken dialogue.
This performance features American Sign Language interpretation provided by Hands UP Productions. This is also a Relaxed Performance.
During every performance this week, dialogue appears on an LED screen placed near the stage to benefit patrons with hearing impairments, as well as English language learners.
August 6–August 11*
*On August 10th at 2pm, captions will be in Spanish only. For all other performances this week, captions will be in English only.
We are happy to offer Spanish Language Access for select performances of Somewhere Over the Border! During these performances, Spanish open captions will be displayed on a screen near the stage. Spanish captions translated by Carlos Martinez, the Assistant Director for Somewhere Over the Border's run at City Theatre.
We are proud to gather community organizations including HIAS Pennsylvania, Free Migration Project, and Centro de Cultura, Arte, Trabajo y Educación (CCATE) for a celebration of immigrants and immigration in Chester County. All are encouraged to come out to People’s Light in recognition of the invaluable contributions immigrants make to the fabric of our community. After the performance, please join us for a special panel moderated by Immigrants Rights Action Executive Director Heidi Roux that gives a platform for immigrants and immigrant rights advocates to speak on the issues that matter most.
This performance will include Spanish open captions.
Sunday, July 28th at 2pm
Our post-show talkback series is back! Join us after every Thursday night performance (excluding previews) for a post-show discussion, or folk-talk, where audience members will have a chance to process and ask questions about the piece they’ve just witnessed. Each AfterWORDS will be moderated by a People’s Light staff member, who may be joined by a member of the cast or creative team.
Our Smart Caption Glasses offer immersive, real-time captioning for live theatre. These revolutionary glasses display a synchronized transcript of the play directly on the lenses, and are customizable for your comfort.
Smart Caption Glasses are available at performances of this play in the date range below. To reserve your pair of glasses, simply add tickets to your cart, then follow the link that appears at the top of the page to add a glasses reservation to your cart for free! For assistance, please contact the Box Office at tickets@peopleslight.org.
July 30-August 11
To expand access to our work, we offer 50%-off Access Nights throughout the season. The discount is automatic for these performances, no promo code required.
