De Novo is an acclaimed documentary play about a Central American youth seeking asylum in the U.S. In 2002, a fourteen-year-old boy named Edgar Chocoy fled his barrio in Guatemala City, when MS-13, the largest gang in Central America, put a hit on his life. He traveled over 3,000 miles through the desert, and across the borders of three countries in search for his mother, who had left him at the age of six months to work in the United States. Detained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Edgar, whose nickname was Lil’ Silent because of his timid demeanor, spoke clearly and loudly about his fear of being deported: “I’m afraid to go back. They’ll kill me.” A pro bono immigration lawyer helped Edgar argue his asylum case in front of a Federal Judge, but the judge was not persuaded and ordered Edgar to be returned to his country.
In “De Novo," Houses on the Moon Theater Company weaves together court transcripts, interviews, letters and other documentary sources to reconstruct the gripping and poignant true story of Edgar, a case whose outcome prompted an international outcry and fundamental reconsideration about the welfare of “alien” minors in immigration custody. The play is performed in English and Spanish by an international cast who have been lauded for their work on Broadway, Off Broadway, throughout Latin America and in film and television. The production is augmented with the harrowing images of award-winning photojournalist Donna Decesare, who is widely known for her coverage of gangs in Central America and Los Angeles. The play has been presented widely around the U.S. as a professional training tool for lawyers and law students around issues specific to migrant youth, and in El Salvador as a tool to connect impoverished youth with support resources.
In “De Novo," Houses on the Moon Theater Company weaves together court transcripts, interviews, letters and other documentary sources to reconstruct the gripping and poignant true story of Edgar, a case whose outcome prompted an international outcry and fundamental reconsideration about the welfare of “alien” minors in immigration custody. The play is performed in English and Spanish by an international cast who have been lauded for their work on Broadway, Off Broadway, throughout Latin America and in film and television. The production is augmented with the harrowing images of award-winning photojournalist Donna Decesare, who is widely known for her coverage of gangs in Central America and Los Angeles. The play has been presented widely around the U.S. as a professional training tool for lawyers and law students around issues specific to migrant youth, and in El Salvador as a tool to connect impoverished youth with support resources.
