OFF: #1 The Family Picnic

A blanket, homemade food, a wall—and a family celebrating a birthday on opposite sides of a border.

Borders define human rights and reshape family rituals, hopes and dreams. What happens when a border changes? What do you do when a wall comes between you and your family?

#1 The Family Picnic is a monologue based on different stories gathered through research, following Maria, a Central American woman deported to Mexico while her family remains divided between the United States and Mexico. Over the years, life along the border wall has been transformed by changes in US migration policies. People meet at the wall; at times, gates have opened between the bars, allowing families to reunite for brief moments.

Maria’s story reflects the experiences of countless families living with deportation, separation and distance. At the centre of the story is an ordinary family ritual—a birthday picnic—made extraordinary by the border that stands between those who want to share it.

#1 The Family Picnic is the first monologue in the FoRE/HOPE (Forms of Resistance and Practices of Hope) series, part of a research project funded by the Kone Foundation (2025–2027).

Languages Spanish and subtitles in Finnish and English

On stage Paula Folqués Diago
Playwright and direction Ilaria Tucci
Consultant Angel Iglesias Ortiz and FoRE/HOPE research team
Producer Maarja Kaasik
Stage design and visuals Perttu Sinervo

www.teatteritelakka.fi/ohjelma/off-1-the-family-picnic/

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