New York Review: Working Theater presents “Border People” by Dan Hoyle
Natalie Rine, Associate New York Critic
The provocatively named “Border People,” written and performed by Dan Hoyle, bridges gaps between art, labor, and people in an exhilarating, linguistic rollercoaster of 75-minutes. Following the much-needed trend right now of journalistic theater, journalist-actor Hoyle welds together a myriad of real-life stories he’s gathered from folks who identify as being along geographic or cultural borders. These stories were collected mostly from merely hanging out, with permission given to Hoyle to adapt and impersonate the tellers’ short snippets of their lives. These folks from all walks of life get to tell us their stories through Hoyle as the vehicle, where he takes on their mannerisms, physicality, and dialects to expound upon the realities of living across man-made borders. While varying across age, gender, and location, each story is never centered on pain or suffering or the darkness often painted in generic media portrayals on these issues, but rather Hoyle expertly paints strokes of the difficult, different realities of unique individuals wanting to be heard.
Hoyle, a slim Caucasian male, is unassuming at first taking the stage. But as quickly as the lights snap on, he transforms before our eyes ping-ponging between characters to deliver a kinetic, dynamic performance. A linguistic chameleon, Hoyle adapts to different characters easily and without hesitation; from an Iraqi Muslim former teacher in Lancaster to a resident of the Bronx projects to an adoptee-turned-deportee in Mexico and more, his performance never falters in the clear respect and honesty each portrayal requires. Throughout his play, themes of desiring safety and suffering insecurity in identity string together the disparate lives. There is also shown repeatedly a disconnect between self-image and the characters’ projected image or hyper-awareness of how others perceived them, ironic since we as an audience balance this same duality watching performer Hoyle take on the many characters’ projected versions of themselves.
Expertly crafted, “Border People”’s set design, projection, and lighting are the perfect union. Scenic designer Frank Oliva’s enticing concave wall plays host to Yana Birÿkova’s gorgeous video projections which set the location, and occasional translation, of each scene. Jorge Oliva’s sound design, pulsing with upbeat multicultural music pre-show and throughout transitions, drops us precisely in each scene’s location, transitioning Hoyle and the audience into both the mindset and environment of the characters. The musical transitions also serve to echo and mirror the characters’ sentiments as a form of expressionism, relying mostly on pop and rap beats heavily associated and readily available to American identity and expression.
“Border People” is a fascinating, carefully-constructed exploration against myopia, a one-man tour-de-force where Hoyle erases borders between characters and identities.
Working Theater’s “Border People” by Dan Hoyle
“Border People” is written and performed by Dan Hoyle. This Off-Broadway premiere is directed by Nicole A. Watson. Production team includes Frank Oliva (Scenic Design), Jimmy Lawlor (Lighting Design), Jorge Oliva (Sound Design), Yana Birÿkova (Video Design), Kara Kaufman (Production Stage Manager), Mendiola Arts Management (Press Representation), and the watsons (Graphic Design). Originally developed with and directed by Charlie Varon.
“Border People” runs at the Gural Theatre at the A.R.T./New York Theatres until February 22, 2020. A NYC borough Tour will be March 3-14, 2020. Run Time: 75 minutes, no intermission. For more information, please visit: https://theworkingtheater.org/events/border-people/
Photo Credit: Carol Rosegg