‘Detained In The Desert’ Opens At La Jolla Playhouse

Josefina Lopez talks about her new play, Detained in the Desert.

Aired 9/3/13 on KPBS Midday Edition

Guests

Josefina López, Playwright

David Rivas, Actor

Transcript for audioclip 19439

Artists can often explore controversial subjects better than any professor or politician, and that's the aim of a new production at the La Jolla Playhouse.

Josefina López's play Detained in the Desert is the story of two very different people who happen to find themselves lost in the Arizona desert: a second-generation Latina and an anti-immigrant radio talk show host. While they struggle to survive the elements, they also struggle with opposing views on immigration reform.

Award winning playwright and screenwriter Josefina López is best known for "Real Women Have Curves"

López, best known for "Real Women Have Curves", says she wrote the play in response to Arizona's "show me your papers" law, SB 1070 and hopes to humanize the immigration debate.

Detained in the Desert is a production of Teatro Máscara Mágica, a new resident theater company at the Playhouse and a fixture in San Diego County.

The show runs through Sept. 15 at the Playhouse’s Theodore and Adele Shank Theatre.

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