This is a play about belonging and what it feels like to be outsider. I loved the relationship between Solis and Peter. These two characters get to know each other and witness their strongly held prejudices fall away. I like imagining a world where a bar and a clock shop are important parts of society. Garcia does a great job at making Mark such a complex character and not just a mustache-twirling villain. This play feels so relevant. I'd love to see this produced everywhere.

Selected for 2023-24 Salon Reading Series - Angels Theatre Co.
In 1000 Miles, Vanessa Garcia sets her story of immigration and refugees in a fictional and fantastical land. This saves Garcia from allusions or direct commentary of a specific refugee crisis (or crises) in our world. It also allows the human story to resonate powerfully. It’s a clever strategy, and effective in opening our hearts to characters bound together in a world that tries to separate them. Highly recommended.

The omission of specific years or place names allows the play to resonate differently depending on where it's staged, and the experience and perceptions that the audience carry in with them. Yet still, what rings so heavily in the story is the specificity in the fears, actions, and intentions of the characters, along with what they bring to the City from far away. The use of space is a beautiful way of expressing the play's themes on stage, striking and distinct, yet I can imagine a production bringing it to life in any number of ways.