La Salle alum returns to campus with dramatic message of nationwide issues

By Amanda Koehler
Collegian Editor
March 1, 2006

About 10 years ago, La Salle alumnus Jared Delaney graced Dan Rodden’s stage as a member of the Masque. On March 22, he will return to perform in The Line in the Sand, a drama production that Los Niños is bringing to the University.

The Line in the Sand is a drama that presents the issue of illegal immigration in the United States, especially in Arizona. A large amount of migrants perish every year trying to make it into America. Delaney, who received his graduate degree in theater from Villanova University, feels that this is an important issue for people to understand.

“The feeling is that Americans might not know how many innocent people are dying, and frankly, they should. By using theater, we are trying to help raise the level of awareness,” he said.

Delaney and four others traveled to the Mexico-Arizona border in August to witness what was happening for themselves. They also interviewed different people when they were down there. After their week-long trip, each person took their interviews and combined them to make a theater piece.

Soon after the fall semester started, Kaitlyn Muller, a junior and a coordinator for the service organization Los Niños, saw a production of The Line in the Sand at an advocacy conference and enjoyed it immensely.

“It was really intriguing and emotional to see how [The Line in the Sand] resembled the people I had met in Mexico,” Muller said.

The Line in the Sand resonated so much with Muller because of her two previous trips to Mexico with Los Niños. This year, 22 students will be in Mexico from May 15-23. While there, the members will learn about the border issue, go on a border patrol visit and do migrant outreach on a day trip to San Diego, in addition to other activities.

Muller knew she wanted to bring The Line in the Sand to La Salle, so in December she took fellow coordinators, senior Katie O’Grady and sophomore Delia Spellman, to see it at the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians. Both girls agreed with Muller that the production should come to the University.

“It’s important for our participants to see it. It shows different angles of every topic we have to deal with when we’re in Mexico,” Spellman said.

They got in contact with Catholic Relief Services, who sponsors the drama along with Villanova, and arranged a date for The Line in the Sand to be performed in the Dan Rodden Theatre.

For Delaney, performing his play at La Salle will be a chance to return to his roots.

“I haven’t had the chance to come back much since I graduated in ’97… my name is on the wall there in the dressing room. Probably some of the graffiti I sprayed in the theater wings is, too,” he said. “I performed in Dan Rodden many times, and I look forward to being on that stage again. And getting to come back, as a professional actor, a member of the Actors’ Equity Association, is very gratifying.”

Both Delaney and the Los Niños coordinators want other students, not only ones involved in the service organization, to be in the audience as well.

“I think students should come see this piece because this is an issue that isn’t about politics, really. It’s about humanity. People are dying for no reason by the hundreds, and we’re letting it happen,” Delaney said. “I know there’s a big service community at La Salle, and I’m sure that those people will attend. But I really hope that non-service people show up, because otherwise we’re just preaching to the choir, and that doesn’t change anything.”

“I think other people have no idea about the border issues that we have seen. [The actors] put it into words so clearly. It’s so perfect the way they do it,” Spellman said.

The Line in the Sand will be performed on Wednesday, March 22 in the Dan Rodden Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Los Niños will provide refreshments before the production, and there will be a question and answer session with the actors afterward.

koehlera1@lasalle.edu