The Courtroom: a re-enactment of one woman's deportation proceedings
“This is theater as civic meditation.”
DIRECTED BY:
Lee Sunday EvansTRANSCRIPTS ARRANGED BY:
Arian MoayedAn intimate encounter with our nation’s immigration court system, The Courtroom tells the story of Elizabeth Keathley, an immigrant from the Philippines who married a U.S. Citizen and came to this country in 2004 on a K3 Visa. After inadvertently registering to vote at the DMV in Bloomington, IL, receiving a voter registration card in the mail, and voting, her removal proceedings were set in motion. Her case began in Immigration Court and was eventually heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. The Courtroom is performed entirely verbatim from court transcripts.
The Courtroom is now a feature-length film that premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival.
READ this blog post by Jeffrey S. Chase, a former immigration judge, that explains the history of the U.S. immigration court system.
READ a statement from the Federal Bar Association in support of establishing Article Immigration Courts. Currently, the Immigration Courts are overseen by the Department of Justice which is directed by the Attorney General – an appointee of the President. This is seen by many people in the field as a fundamental flaw that compromises judicial independence and due process.
READ ”The Power of Transcripts” by Lee Sunday Evans, about the process of creating The Courtroom and The Flores Exhibits.
SEE a flow chart of how removal proceedings move through immigration courts to help understand the context for Elizabeth Keathley’s journey.
The Courtroom has been adapted into an acclaimed film - watch the trailer HERE!
INFORMATION
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Kristin Villanueva, Linda Powell, Mike Braun, Happy Anderson, Ruthie Ann Miles, Hanna Cheek, Kathleen Chalfant, Mick Hilgers, Michael B. French
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Stephanie J. Block, Brian D’Arcy James, Thomas Sadoski, Peter Francis James, Jason Ralph J. Smith-Cameron, Jennifer Ehle, Kelli O’Hara, Patrick Wilson
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Associate Director: Katie Young
Costume Design: Georgia Junghyun Lee
Props Design: Ryan Courtney
Assistant Stage Manager: Rachel Kaplow
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LEAD SPONSOR
The world premiere of The Courtroom was made possible by the lead support of Angelia Fiordellisi, given in memory of Stefano and Caterina Fiordellisi.
SHOW SPONSORS
Burnt Umber Productions, Nazgol Saati and Khambiz Shahbazi, Kathleen Clark and Richard Frankel, Ruth and Stephen Hendel
POST-SHOW EVENT SPONSORS
James Adams and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham LLP, Rachel Pearson, and Elizabeth Thorp
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2018-2019 SEASON
January 23, 26, 2019–Fordham Law School
January 24-25, 2019-Thurgood Marshall Courthouse
January 30, 2019-St. Mark's Church in the Bowery
January 31-February 1, 2019-Judson Memorial Church
February 19, 2019-WNYC Greene Space
May 6, 2019–New York Bar Association
2019-2020 SEASON
Due to popular demand, we presented monthly performances at venues around New York City
October 24, 2019-Judson Memorial Church
November 21, 2019-Center at Park West
December 9, 2019-Cooper Union’s Historic GreatHall
January 26, 2020-Cardozo Law School, performed by Alumni of the Waterwell Drama Program
February 12, 2020-Lucille Lortel Theatre
March 9, 2020-Symphony Space
GALLERY
