Nine stairs separate 19-year-old ELI and his wheelchair from the outside world. He and his mother JULIA, a warehouse worker, live in a run-down building at the edge of a large city.

Because of his severe cerebral palsy, ELI has minimal movement and is nonverbal, though the audience experiences everything from his perspective: When we are “in his mind,” he speaks to us from his chair in a clear voice.

Conflicts arise when JULIA begins to pressure her financially strapped neighbors to help pay for a ramp so ELI can go outside. She battles bureaucrats, engineers, and funding agencies. Halfway through the play, the neighbors unanimously vote against the ramp. Even her friends won’t support it. What happens next tests the bonds between people who have lived side by side for decades.

The script explores themes of poverty, inclusion, and accessibility. The characters are complex: no one is all good or all bad. What they have in common is the struggle to get by in an underserved, low-income neighborhood far from the center of town.

(This is the US version of the translation. A UK script is also available.)
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PRAISE FOR THE LONDON AND BARCELONA PRODUCTIONS:

“Astonishingly compelling... The ninety minutes flew by in this edgy and intense production.” - LondonTheatre1, 2022

“Not to be missed... One of the most beautiful stories I’ve seen recently... The characters are complex and full of contradictions, just like in life.” - El País, 2017

“The script never loses steam. It approaches its sensitive subject without any of the mawkish preachiness that could have undermined it. The playwright leaves theatergoers wondering what they would do in this situation.” - El Periódico, 2017

“A moving play... [with a] beautifully succinct translation by Steven Capsuto.” - Latino Life UK, 2022

“Hard cases make bad law, but as Marilia Samper’s play (beautifully translated by Steven Capsuto) proves, they can make good drama.” - Broadway World UK, 2022