The 2nd Act Players’ November play, New Year’s Eve at Grandma’s House looks at the American immigrant experience circa 1960. Its first two Sunday shows, Nov. 4 and Nov. 11, will be followed by panel discussions on issues immigrants face today. Speakers for the Nov. 11 panel will include:
- Fernando Moreno, chief operations officer, SpanishPublicRadio.org
- Delia Flores, noted writer and editor
- Marcelo Ferrer, a community organizer at the Logan Square Neighborhood Association
Moreno is himself a DACA recipient and will discuss being a first generation immigrant. At Spanish Public Radio, he has been working with Northeastern Illinois University on a series on DACA students titled: DACAmentation: Journalism by DREAMers for DREAMers.
Flores currently works for a large professional services firm in the Loop. Her reporting and writing has appeared in publications including The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Boston Globe and several magazines. One of her earliest reporting jobs was at Reuters. She later worked as a freelance writer for several magazines and as a book editor.
Delia’s father, born in Tamaulipas, Mexico, came to the United States illegally as a teenager. Her mother’s family has lived in South Texas since the 1830s. Like life in general on the border, her family is both American and Mexican and is woven from both worlds. Her perspective on growing up in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, on the U.S.-Mexican border formed the basis for Lugares Intermedios, her Master’s thesis from Dartmouth College. Delia is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
Ferrer, a refugee from Chile, is passionate about immigration issues. He currently co-directs LSNA’s immigration services program that focuses on citizenship and DACA as well as advocacy. He’s also an Evanston resident.
“This new play looks at first generation children born here trying to become American as their immigrant mother fears they are losing their heritage in the process. Such acculturation issues are the same for all immigrant groups, whether past or present,” says 2nd Act cofounder John N. Frank. “We’ll touch on those in our discussions but we’ll also update the immigrant experience to the present day, looking at increasing hostile environment immigrants face today.
New Year’s Eve at Grandma’s House open Saturday, Nov. 3, with shows every Saturday night and Sunday afternoon through Nov. 18. Tickets are available at a $5 online discount by clicking here.
The show’s Nov. 4 performance this coming Sunday will include a post-show discussion with Alejandra L. Ibañez, lead program officer at the Woods Fund Chicago, and Analía Rodríguez, executive director of the Latino Union.