Youth Development Through the Arts

lationship that may or may not end in marriage but in our story “love is ended before it began” as quoted in the popular song When I Fall In Love, by Nat King Cole. This is the case simply because the couple won’t be able to openly pursue their affections due to the fact that Jack is Haitian and Sophia is Bahamian. After secretly loving each other for two years, Jack can stand it no more, so he decides to approach Sophia’s father who is a local surgeon. He is met with harsh opposition and a threat that Dr. Davis, Sophia’s father, promises to make good on. Although it is painful, Jack contacts Sophia to break off the friendship but her father finds out. While at work that evening, Jack receives a call that the “Haitian shanti village where he resides is engulfed with smoke. He rushes home only to find the love of his life, unbeknown to him, was visiting his mother at the time of the fire and has consequently been severely hurt in the fire. The horror of possibly losing the love of his life to the hands of her father is more than Jack can bear, but through Divine intervention he pushes pass his anger and desire for revenge and rather focuses his emotions on helping to nurse Sophia back to health during her three month hospital stay. Jack has been working and attending The College of the Bahamas and is determined to return to Haiti to make a difference in the area of Political Science. Through all the obstacles the couples genuine love and determination eventually lead them to decide to marry. Jack never goes to the authority to report Dr. Davis who he believes was responsible for the fire that almost claimed his only daughter’s life because of his love for Sophia. He knew how it would “crush” her to find out to what extent her father went because of his distain for the Haitian race. The day of the wedding the bride along with her mother who has decided to support are at the office of the Justice of the Peace. After some time, a friend of Jack’s rushes in to let the waiting “wife to be” know the unfortunate news that Jack had been caught in a round up raid and is now locked up in the Detention Center to await deportation……..thus the title “The Thief of Love”. In this play written by L. Terez Nixon, illegal immigration is clearly not encouraged and neither is hatred and violence because of racial differences. Like the “Theatres” of old, we are simply using the stage as a mirror to remind us of our social ills and foster discussions and decision making for positive change.