Borderlands Theater strives to build equitable, joyful, and meaningful collaborations with the local community through innovative theater and responsive cultural programs ingrained in the heritage, narratives, and lived experiences of peoples rooted across the Sonoran Desert.
Barclay Goldsmith PRESENTE!
With heavy hearts the board and staff at Borderlands Theater mourn the passing of our dear founder, beloved friend, and theatrical trailblazer, Barclay Goldsmith. Barclay was a champion of the underdog in his artmaking and personal life. Passionate about his causes, compassionate for all who suffered, able to find the much needed humor in the darkest of moments, Barclay was one of Tucson’s greatest. He founded Borderlands Theater in 1986 working out of a converted garage which became Pima Community College’s Black Box Theater. He produced over 100 productions, which often centered on the plight of the oppressed and marginalized. A brave intellectual, Barclay supported causes for social justice, equality and peace. He worked closely with groups like Samaritans, No More Deaths, Southside Presbyterian Church both personally and in his role as a theater maker. Prior to starting Borderlands Theater he was involved in the Chicano Theatre movement as a key member of Tucson’s Teatro Libertad in the 1970s and early 1980s. His natural curiosity made him a formidable stage director, and he never stopped learning more about his craft. He played a significant role in the careers of many actors and dramatists locally, nationally, and internationally. He forged an important bridge between theater makers in Mexico and Tucson and was a founding member of the National New Play Network. As an instructor and longtime chair at Pima Community College’s Theater Department, he introduced hundreds of students to the craft. His life’s work touched countless lives and his contribution to the cultural landscape of Southern Arizona left an indelible legacy that lives on. Our condolences to his spouse and life partner, Raquel Rubio Goldsmith, his children and grandchildren. Barclay Presente!
Details for a public reception will be made here and our newsletter.
Westside Stories Video Archive
Watch Borderlands Theater’s 2023 production of Westside Stories, story by story, as a Youtube playlist. Free to stream for educators, scholars, parents, anyone with an interest in the history and heritage of Tucson’s westside barrios.
Second Sunday of every month
For more info, bios, and full schedule CLICK HERE.
Thank You National Latinx Theater Initiative!
Thank you National Latinx Theater Initiative for our two year grant! Now we can hire two of our part time staff as full time staff!
NLTI is a program of the Los Angeles-based Latino Theater Company.
Borderlands Theater Awarded 100K to participate in One Nation One Project
Leveraging the power of the arts for the wellbeing of all.
Excited to announce our participation in the One Nation One Project initiative! We’re centering the role of the arts as a vital tool for community wellness. The central theory is that community plus the arts equals healthier people, healthier societies. ONOP has gathered research and statistics to prove this theory. We’re one of 18 cities across the country, setting out to gather more data to back the claim, that arts are vital to our own and our city’s wellbeing.
“Congratulations Borderlands Theater. Thank you for your incredible work telling our history.” – Mayor Regina Romero.