I Was A Stranger Too

by Cynthia L. (Cindy) Cooper

An American woman, propelled by the memory of her mother's rescue from the Holocaust, is drawn to help asylum seekers in the U.S. As she attempts to understand and navigate the asylum system of the 21st century, she encounters both helpers and people fleeing persecution, eventually connecting with a lesbian escaping danger, while stories unfold in monologues by a range of characters -- an accompaniment trainer...

An American woman, propelled by the memory of her mother's rescue from the Holocaust, is drawn to help asylum seekers in the U.S. As she attempts to understand and navigate the asylum system of the 21st century, she encounters both helpers and people fleeing persecution, eventually connecting with a lesbian escaping danger, while stories unfold in monologues by a range of characters -- an accompaniment trainer, a lawyer working on the border, a Russian lesbian, the director of a safe house for asylum seekers, a South American woman seeking refuge with her daughter, a Middle Eastern man forced to find a new home, a woman from Cameroon, a former child refugee who heads an organization for Asian Americans. The play is based on extensive first-person interviews. 8w, 1m (some doubling is possible).

Development:
Excerpt: Jewish Play Project audio cast
Excerpt: Remember the Women Institute Zoom
Theatre Unbound (postponed, Covid)
Play Readings With Friends

Semi-finalist: O'Neill Theatre Center Playwrights Conference

Finalist Selection, Jewish Plays Project 2022
“This play is gorgeous, with a depth of character and a beautiful economy of words. The engagement of Jewish history and ethics in allyship with new immigrants hits exactly the sweet spot of the JPP’s mission.” David Winitsky, Artistic Director, JPP

Finalist for the Theater J Trish Vradenburg Jewish Play Prize 2021
"What a rich and important play.... When I think about politics and art colliding, I imagine this play and the impact it could have. It's an incredibly powerful piece of work." ~Adam Immerwahr, Artistic Director, Theatre J

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I Was A Stranger Too

Recommended by

  • Emma Goldman-Sherman: I Was A Stranger Too

    This is such a timely and necessary play with many urgent voices!

    This is such a timely and necessary play with many urgent voices!

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Play Reading With Friends, Year 2021
  • Type Workshop, Organization Theatre Unbound, Mpls, Year 2020

Production History

  • Type Professional, Organization The Neighborhood House/Wellstone Center, St Paul MN, Year 2023
  • Type Workshop, Organization Remember the Women Institute, Year 2022

Awards

  • Alliance for Jewish Theatre Regranting Program
    Alliance for Jewish Theatre
    2022
  • Rimon, Minnesota Jewish Arts Council
    Selection
  • National Playwrights Conference
    O'Neill Theatre Center
    Semi-Finalist
    2022
  • Jewish Plays Project
    11th Annual Jewish Playwriting Contest
    Finalist
    2022
  • Trish Vradenburg Jewish Play Prize
    Theatre J
    Finalist
    2021