This is an excerpt about bullying, a scene called "Dodge Ball" from OUTSIDE THE CIRCLE, a new play about sexuality and (dis)ability by Andrea Assaf & Samuel Valdez. Directed by Dora Arreola, with Light Design by G.B. Stephens, Sound Design by Owen Henry & Keegan Fraley. Photography by Marc Norberg. Commissioned by Pangea World Theater, Esperanza Center for Justice & Peace, El Centro su Teatro, and the National Performance Network Creation Fund. At Intermedia Arts, 2012.

Outside the Circle Written by Andrea Assaf & Samuel Valdez Directed by Dora Arreola Performed by Andrea Assaf, Samuel Valdez and Maria Vale Lighting Design by G.B. Stephens Sound Design by Owen Henry & Keegan Fraley Stage Management by Alyssa Teale Richards OUTSIDE THE CIRCLE, a new play by Andrea Assaf and Samuel Valdez, examines the nature of love, and what happens to love when we internalize society's phobias. A straight man with cerebral palsy and a queer woman recount their adventures, and share their woes, of unrequited love, and unsuccessful attempts to seduce (straight) women. Their lives on both sides of the border intersect one night when they meet at a Tijuana bar, and become entwined in each other's stories. Their parallel and interweaving tales reveal the illusions of normalcy, and the liberation possible when choosing life ... outside the circle. This new movement theater work, directed by Dora Arreola, looks at queerness in multiple ways, from lesbian sexuality to the non-normative experience of living with a disability, and offers a rare and extraordinary opportunity to bring people together across identities and communities. A funny, heart-breaking, experimental piece about the trials and tribulations of love -- one that illuminates the limits of social constructs and opens the question of liberation in new ways -- OUTSIDE THE CIRCLE looks at what happens when people who experience different kinds of oppression realize that they haven't necessarily supported each other's struggles. It explores how these characters resolve their contradictions of racial/cultural identity, sexual/gender identity, and the identities we develop related to physical ability. OUTSIDE THE CIRCLE is an Art2Action Inc. production, co-commissioned by Pangea World Theater, the Esperanza Center for Peace & Justice, El Centro Su Teatro, and the National Performance Network (NPN) Creation Fund. Created with support from the National Association of Latino Arts & Culture (NALAC) and United States Artists. Photos by Marc Norberg & G.B. Stephens, at Intermedia Arts & Jump-Start Performance Co. Filmed by SubMecca Entertainment at Intermedia Arts, with Pangea World Theater, Minneapolis. Video sample created by Art2Action Inc., copyright 2012 TOURING 2013 & 2014! For booking info, contact art2action@earthlink.net