Fronteras Americanas: American Borders

by Guillermo Verdecchia

Fuelled by equal parts outrage, intelligence and wit, Fronteras Americanas re-creates one person’s struggle to construct a home between two cultures, while exploding the images and constructs built up around Latinos and Latin America. This one-person play works through bold juxtapositions and satiric reference points: Simón Bolívar and Speedy Gonzales; Columbus and Fodor’s travel guides; Ricky Ricardo and the Latin Lover; �La Bamba’ and Placido Domingo; Carlos Fuentes and American made-for-TV drug-wars movies. Verdecchia twirls stereotypes and clichés, offers comparative histories, examines myths and mysticism, and provides lessons in language and dancing.

Cast of one man.

Genres: Plays, Read For School, Canada, Theatre, Canadian Literature, Drama, School

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[abby ❤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

always good to read anything that makes you think about the fact that borders are a made up concept

[Samantha García · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious satire and a wonderful self-finding play

[Aislyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing little play I read for my Global Literature in Canada class. It was a bit confusing at first with the switch between Verdecchia himself and the character of Wideload, but it flows well by the end of the script. I'd really like to see this on stage and see if my opinion and perception of it changes.

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

liked the Verdecchia section's stream-of-consciousness and anaphora (although anaphora will always get me tbf)

interesting to chew on, although similar to Aztlan gets a bit didactic and obvious at parts (which was probably not the case when this came out but, times change)

wish this site had half stars

[Becky Kolt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun play, the dynamic between audience and stage is very entertaining. I loved the inclusion of slides directing the audience through a monologue heavy piece.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

why can’t you do half stars on here. liked it!

[caro kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

had to read for a class, some really gorgeous lines in this one

[Care · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lots of borders: language, mexico/usa, canada/usa, citizenships, etc. I didn't enjoy this much. I wouldn't recommend it for much other than Wideload's monologues illustrating the stereotypes of South Americans and the lovely history timeline provided within this play.

[Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

A play about the exploration of self and identity amidst race and location. It's nice to see it in action too.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone needs to read this.

[naty · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful piece. It is probably one of the best books I've read this year. The writing was wonderful and I simply loved every word.