In the heart of a Southside apartment complex, neighbors came together Saturday night, not just to watch a play, but to witness each other’s truths.

“No Place Like Home,” a one-night-only performance by Borderlands Theater in partnership with the city of Tucson’s Violence Interruption and Vitalization Action, or VIVA, initiative, brought real stories of abuse, addiction and survival to the stage — stories lived and told by the very community it honored.

On a basketball court turned theater, the evening became a collective act of healing defiance against silence, as seven Tucson-based artists gave life to their refusal to let trauma define them.

The performance took place on the basketball court of Ventura Villas Apartments, which welcomed community members, leaders and curious passersby. One of the goals of the public performance was to create a space for the community to disrupt stigmatized topics by building networks of care, reclaiming space and showing what reinvestment in community-led healing looks like in real life.

“No Place Like Home” used interpretive dance, live music and monologues to convey the lived experiences of neighbors. Using stories collected through the city’s VIVA sites, the performance aims to uplift people often overlooked in conversations about safety, while making sure to honor the resilience of families who face mounting obstacles.

The performance was also a celebration for VIVA site residents who graduated from a nine-month-long leadership training program.

“They already have taken leadership classes, and there's leaders here already,” said Tucson Mayor Regina Romero. “I believe deeply that the people that live here are the ones that are going to take care of each other.”

Romero had a front-row seat for the performance and shared her appreciation to Borderlands for bringing together local actors and the VIVA initiative, which she said goes beyond policing.

“The best way to keep the community safe is not by policing them,” Romero said. “I believe that we shouldn't call the police out to all the needs that Community has, I believe that Community safety is more than just calling police. I think it's calling each other. I think it's calling for resources, and people that care for each other.”

The VIVA program, housed within the city’s Community Safety, Health and Wellness program, was launched in collaboration with the Tucson Police Department in response to the 2020 death of Carlos Ingram Lopez.

The program helps the city better address violence through prevention methods and investment in community voices. “No Place Like Home” is a representation of how far they have come in their effort to reimagine what public safety means, Romero said, adding that storytelling can be a powerful tool to break cycles of abuse and reclaim their own narratives.

When people have the opportunity to speak their own truths, it challenges the stigma and shame that keeps people isolated, she said.

"This isn't abstract; it's someone like them, from their block, who made it," Romero said. "Over time, this helps shape new norms."

Actress Kat McIntosh played the role of Daisy, a young woman who navigated mental health challenges following years of childhood abuse. In one particularly gripping moment, McIntosh spoke about her family’s cycle of abuse ending with her.

"My granddaughter…she will not inherit the scars,” she said with a trembling breath.

Brooke La France played the role of Jessica, who lived in a group home from the ages of 9 to 16. Her story reflected a common reality for trauma survivors: hiding their pain out of fear.

Jessica had experienced abuse by staff and peers and endured prostitution, rape and substance use issues. She told the audience that just because someone's life seems picturesque doesn't mean it is.

Many of these stories reflected a common theme of the breaking of the cycle of harm, with the actors sharing stories about how their children and grandchildren will not be bound by their pain and instead be rewarded by their resilience.

Raúl Grijalva Gomez played the role of Jacob, with his mother, former Pima County Supervisor and Congressional District 7 candidate Adelita Grijalva, proudly watching on.

Grijalva said the event reminded her of Chicano theater movements from her childhood, like Teatro Libertad and Teatro Campesino, saying that “No Place Like Home” revives the rich tradition and reimagines it for a new generation.

“We should really look out for each other and create spaces where people feel welcome,” Grijalva said.

This event brought families together to witness stories that, in some cases, reflected their own.

“I would like people to be inspired to do more things like this and I hope that Borderlands gets a lot of really positive feedback, so they'll continue to create community spaces for community theater,” Grijalva said.

Lupita Espinoza was at the event to support her grandson, a musician with Los Changuitos Feos, one of the youth mariachi bands in attendance. Espinoza left feeling more connected to the community than she expected, discovering resources and programs she hadn't been aware of before.

She explored the various booths from organizations who attended the event, including Liberty Partnership Kino Neighborhoods Council, FUGA Tucson, Chicanos Por La Causa, Just Communities Arizona and Community Medical Services.

"We are impressed to see all the information (that) is provided for us and residents,” Espinoza said.

Romero said the city plans to continue supporting initiatives that break down systemic issues in a way that makes them easier to digest.

This kind of storytelling ripples through the community, she said, helping people see themselves in others and making complex issues feel personal and real. The play marks the beginning of healing, not just for people but for communities that have the courage to speak out.

“This particular site, we were really super excited, because the idea came up of bringing Borderlands Theater,” she said. “Borderlands is creative and lovely and wonderful.”

Angelina Maynes is a University of Arizona alum and reporter with Tucson Spotlight. Contact her at angelinamaynes@arizona.edu.

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