With a single phrase, you can give up your country. With a single signature, you can tear a family apart. With a single word, you can learn to transform. Latino Theater Company presents the West Coast premiere of (Un)Documents written and performed by queer actor, theatermaker and poet Jesús I. Valles and directed by Rudy Ramirez. Performances take place October 14 through November 20 at The Los Angeles Theatre Center in Downtown L.A, with two low-priced previews set for October 12 and October 13.
(Un)Documents is the lyrical tale of Valles’s journey across both sides of a river with two names, moving between languages to find their place in a nation that demands sacrifice at the altar of citizenship. In doing so, they create a new kind of documentation written with anger, fierce love, and the knowledge that what makes us human can never be captured on a government questionnaire.
Currently based in Providence, Rhode Island, Valles immigrated to the U.S with their family at the age of nine. Their multiple award-winning solo work was adapted from a series of 20 poems they wrote following their brother’s deportation in a workplace raid — poems about their brother, citizenship, identity and the LGBTQ community.
“I learned early on what some people are able to do or unable to do, all based on a few pieces of paper and, you know, some holograms on some plastic,” said Valles in an interview. “(Un)Documents asks the audience rethink how they watch and talk about migrant communities, queer people of color, systems of oppression. And to ask questions of themselves and those in positions of power.”
(Un)Documents opens on Friday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m., with performances thereafter taking place on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. through November 20. Two preview performances take place on Wednesday, Oct. 12 and Thursday, Oct. 13, each at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $10–$48, except opening night which is $58 and includes a reception, and previews, which are Pay-What-You-Choose starting at $5.
TheLos Angeles Theatre Center is located at 514 S. SpringSt., Los Angeles, CA 90013. Parking is available for $5 with box office validation at Joe’s Parking structure, 530 S. Spring St. (immediately south of the theater).
To purchase tickets and for more information, including up-to-date Covid-19 safety protocols on the day of each performance, call (213) 489-0994 or go to www.latinotheaterco.org.