On the Edge
By Luis Edoardo Torres (Mexico)
Translated by Stephen Brown
Directed by Almiro Andrade
Away from the sound of bullets and cries of despair that characterise life for many living by the river that separates northern Mexico and the USA, we hear the voices of ghosts: people who had fears, hopes and fell in love despite the tragedy unfolding around them.
The Mexican border with the USA is much more than a media construct. Even though the terrible violence taking place there is undeniable, it is not the only reality. Little has been said about the people who live in the borderlands between the two countries, especially the women and children who are often the innocent victims of the violence.
On the Edge tells three parallel stories:
The first story is that of a ghost town, a flood and a love triangle.
The second story focuses on the character of a sicario (hired killer), the nightmare of an immigrant and two boys’ coming of age.
The third story gives a ray of hope for the thousands of people waiting for the return of those who disappeared since the start of Mexico’s “War on Drugs” in 2006.
“Our men left, all of them, one by one, loads of them. They crossed over the river. Then the river washed over them; erasing their names and their memories. We women stayed here: waiting. That became our purpose in life. One day we stopped remembering them, but we could never forget.”
The first staged reading of the play was at Dramafest, Mexico in 2016.
All plays at #OOTW2022 will be presented as rehearsed readings.
Pictured: the cast of The Therapist, Out of the Wings 2021.
