The border is not only a physical line, but a social line too.

The artistic minds at Borderlands Theater, a local theater venue that focuses on border issues, analyze and advertise this metaphor not only in their mission statement, but also through their performances.

Barclay Goldsmith, founder and producing director of the theater, sums up the importance of the matter. “Tucson is a border town and we are border people,” Goldsmith said.

To underline this, the upcoming award-winning play Dust Eaters, by Julie Jensen, promises to examine border issues as it presents struggles of American Indians with Mormon pioneers in Ohio.

Since Borderlands raised its curtains for the first time in 1987, it has staged numerous performances with a Hispanic influence, portraying, as Goldsmith puts it, the “clash between cultures” in our society.

How important is a focus on racial conflicts and border problems in Tucson? Do these issues call for a change in society? Goldsmith says that is not the intention of Borderlands.

The plays are still controversial, but they are not a call for arms anymore as were Borderlands role-models. Its roots lie in the '70s Chicano theater movement - simply called “Actos” - which were supposed to inspire audiences to take action on social issues. Goldsmith himself was a member of the Sanctuary Movement, which helped Mexicans seeking asylum in the United States through a network of people, connected across the border through common beliefs.

Goldsmith praises his audience as smart and active. But the role of Borderlands is not one that sparks revolution.

The theater represents the diverse voices of the border area. “Developing new plays and putting voices on stage is what we are known for,” he said.

While Borderlands presents shows on three stages spread across Downtown Tucson - Beowulf Alley Theater, 11 S. Sixth Ave., Leo Rich Theater, 260 S. Church Ave. and Zuzi’s Theater, 738 N. Fifth Ave. - the official theater office is tucked away in the heart of Downtown. The little building can easily escape the searcher’s eye as it is hidden on West Jackson Street, away from the main traffic, behind an old wooden gate and colorful trees.

Emily Pratt, box office manager and community outreach coordinator, knows that apart from the cultural aspect, Borderlands is also a business. Having found a niche does not always sell as well as producing blockbuster movies.

“It is a struggle to fill up the seats,” Pratt sighed. “But the more controversial the play, the bigger the audience.”

“Desire / El Deseo,” a non-political piece about love between an older, white woman and a young Colombian man, was a hit for the theater's 2005-2006 season.

On the other hand, she explained, the Leo Rich Theater seats 511 people, and it's hard to fill up all the seats. “If we have 400, it is considered a full house,” Pratt said. “We never have 511 people.”

The interactions in the community outreach program are very successful, though. Borderlands offers an education outreach program, which gives teachers the opportunity to bring their students to plays and create a forum for discussion.

“I like to think we make an impact,” Pratt said. “Not with adults but on students, especially of mixed heritage.”

Pratt explains that there are many children in Tucson who have come from multiple ethnicities. She remembers a play the theater staged over two years ago that was about how you define yourself or how society defines you. The play was "Mixed Messages" by Cherylene Lee. Many students expressed how much their lives were impacted and changed by that play.

Goldsmith agrees that is important to interact with students. “Most of them are very interested, they come prepared by their teachers and are very perceptive,” he said.

What about the impact on the rest of the community? Is it relevant to present controversial ideas in today’s non-activist society? Goldsmith explains that people who come to watch the plays would probably say there is a need for it in the community.

Yet, today‘s plays have a more reflective character. “Some have their minds made up already, the play is just reinforcement,” Goldsmith said.

Some still call Borderlands feisty and innovative, but Goldsmith is reluctant to give it any adjectives. He humbly rejects any attribution and says that’s the job of the viewers and critics. Goldsmith would rather have the plays speak for the theater.

And it does speaks to everyone. As Borderlands Theater avows in its vision statement, “border people are citizens of the world.”

Borderlands Theater opens its 2007-2008 season with “Dust Eaters:”
October 4-21, 2007
Beowulf Alley Theater, 11 S. Sixth Ave.
For more information, visit the Borderlands Theater Web site.