Hugo Salcedo's 'Dos Nogales' Uses Theatre as a Platform for Migration Discourse

Hugo Salcedo's bilingual play 'Dos Nogales. Partitura dramática coral en una sola jornada' was published by Ediciones Ibero in 2026. The work, rooted in border theatre, addresses migration through eight acts based on interviews with asylum seekers at the Albergue Casa de la Misericordia y Todas las Naciones in Nogales. It premiered in English on May 9, 2024, in Tucson, Arizona, performed by the Compañía de Teatro Dignidad and the Coalición de Derechos Humanos. The play uses minimal staging—five chairs, a single light, and projected images—to focus on testimonies from migrants from Venezuela, Colombia, Haiti, Ecuador, India, and Afghanistan. It critiques U.S. policies like the CBP One app, which accepted only 40 daily asylum requests and has since been eliminated. Salcedo's previous works include 'Música de balas' (UAM, 2012) on organized crime, 'Nosotras que los queremos tanto' (Ediciones Ibero, 2020) on gender violence, and 'El príncipe de Atlacomulco' (Ediciones Ibero, 2023), a political farce. The play questions whether representation can effect change, ultimately asserting that dialogue and exposure can shift perspectives.