Irene Kapustina reached a breaking point with the Syrian refugee crisis last fall.
I reached a point where I couldnt watch the news anymore.
I couldnt believe we keep seeing all these horrible images in the media and nothing is being done.
Credit: Andrei Remenchuk
The project becameLost and Guided,a new play making its world premiere Off-Broadway at Under St. Marks.
This is when she decided to collect their stories and turn them into a play.
She also put the word out to friends and smaller organizations who helped connect her on a personal level.
Kapustina began her interviews in November 2016, conducting her very first interview for the project on election night.
That was a symbolic way of starting this project.
Inspiration came from an unlikely place: President Donald Trumps proposed travel ban.
All of us are coming from somewhere else, she says.
Because if we neglect stories like these, this [Charlottesville] is what well end up having.
Lost and Guidedis now playing at Under St. Marks through Aug. 27.
