The hot topic of child immigration takes center stage in a play that takes reality and spins a web of fantasy around it. Illinois State University theater professor Cyndee Brown is the director of Bocon!, and talks about how fantasy can be a great way to explore troubling current events.
*The young hero of the play is forced to become on of the many unaccompanied minors who are fleeing their native land and heading to a new life in the United States.
* Though the play has contemporary problems at its core, it's portrayed in a mythical, fairytale kind of way, depicting the young boy as going on a perilous journey, with fantastic obstacles that he must overcome to find his voice and let his story be heard.
* Director Cyndee Brown says the play is aimed at families, and will be engaging to those ages eight through adulthood. She believes children need a voice and that theater can give it to them.
*The play runs in ISU's Westoff Theater march 25 - April 2.
