Tara’s Crossing

I went to the play last night not knowing what to expect and came away surprised that I enjoyed the play. It was a simple set; a table, a couple of chairs and a cot. Out of that the actors and actresses were able to mold a moving and memorable play.
The play starts off with Tara getting an autograph from a TV star (Judith Bright) and she tells the TV star her life story in a series of flashbacks to Guyana and in the immigration detention center. The play deals with Tara as she tries to entire the U.S. and seek political asylum. The play takes place while she is in the immigration detention center, while there she tells her story to her lawyer Barry. In the scene of the trailer, Tara is telling Judith what “his” life was like when “he” was eight in Guyana and all the bullying that she got growing up.
In the play I saw snippet’s of my life growing up, not the violence, but in having to hide who I was because I learned that it was one secret that I had keep. One scene that struck close to home was where Tara was crying in bed, I remember the many times that I cried myself to sleep when I was little praying that when I woke up I would be a girl. There was a lump in my throat sitting there while watching the play during that scene.
For a friend who was there with me, it struck way too close home; she had to leave for a while because it had just too many bad memories for her. You see, her father beat her repeatedly because she wasn’t manly enough, she was arrested because she dared to dress in public and she had to flee her home state of Virginia and come north for asylum.
This is a very moving play, not only for someone who is trans, but also for others who want to try and understand a small glimpse of what it is like growing up trans. Please, if the play comes to a college or theater near you, take the time and go see it, you will be glad that you did.