Before The Courtroom, join director Patrick Torres for an inside look the production, exploring the choices that bring this powerful story of immigration, identity, and belonging to the stage.

Fact, Fear, and the Ballot: Immigration and Election Integrity  

"Following The Courtroom: A Reenactment of One Woman’s Deportation Proceedings, this panel will explore the intersections of immigration, citizenship, voting, and civic participation. Beginning with the real-life immigration proceedings audiences have just witnessed, we’ll discuss what immigration status means within our legal and electoral systems, who is eligible to vote, and the safeguards that help ensure secure elections. We’ll also consider common misconceptions about immigrants and voting, how those narratives affect immigrant communities, and the many ways immigrants can participate in and contribute to civic life even when they are not eligible to cast a ballot.

Our goal is an accessible, fact-based conversation that helps audiences connect the individual story they have just seen onstage with broader questions of citizenship, belonging, and participation in American democracy."

Panelists
Erica Porter is the Director of Partner Engagement at the North Carolina Voter Protection Alliance (NCVPA), where she leads statewide relationship-building with county Boards of Elections, legal partners, and community organizations to strengthen election administration and voter protection infrastructure across North Carolina.

She brings over a decade of experience in community systems-building, workforce development, and civic leadership. Prior to joining NCVPA, Erica served as Director of Workforce Development at the Southeast Raleigh YMCA, where she built large-scale youth employment pipelines, led community economic mobility initiatives, and co-managed one of the region’s most consistent food distribution programs, serving thousands of families over multiple years.

From 2018 to January 2026, Erica served on the Wake County Board of Elections, including as Chair, gaining direct governance experience inside one of North Carolina’s largest and most complex election systems. This dual perspective, community-based leadership and institutional governance, positions her uniquely to build durable civic infrastructure rooted in trust, accountability, and long-term systems change.

Her work centers on building sustainable partnerships, strengthening local democratic capacity, and translating policy into practice through community-centered strategies.

Former Judge Steven Abrams. Attorney General Janet Reno appointed Judge Abrams in September 1997. Judge Abrams received a bachelor of science degree in 1970 from Northeastern University and a juris doctorate in 1974 from St. John’s University School of Law. From June 2005 to June 2009, he served as an immigration judge at the New York Immigration Court. From 1999 to June 2005, Judge Abrams served as an immigration judge at the Queens Wackenhut Immigration Court. From September 1997 to January 1999 he was an immigration judge at the Varick Street Immigration Court. From 1979 to 1997, he worked for the former Immigration and Naturalization Service in various capacities, including a general attorney; district counsel; a special U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York; and special counsel for criminal litigation. From December 1978 to August 1979, he worked as assistant counsel for the State of New York Commission of Investigation. From August to December 1978, Judge Abrams served as assistant counsel for the New York State Department of Social Services Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Unit. From 1974 to 1978, he was employed by the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, serving first as an assistant district attorney, then as senior assistant in the Homicide Bureau. Judge Abrams is a member of the New York State Bar.

Siembra NC is a North Carolina-based grassroots organization founded in 2017 that works primarily with Latino, immigrant, and working-class communities. The organization focuses on community organizing and advocacy around workers’ rights, immigration, housing, and economic justice. Siembra NC seeks to build community power by organizing residents around issues affecting their families and neighborhoods and by encouraging civic participation and collective action. Its work includes community education, campaigns addressing workplace and housing concerns, and efforts to support immigrant communities across North Carolina.

Beyond the Jargon and Paperwork: The Psychological Cost of a Bureaucratic Nightmare  

What happens psychologically when the most personal parts of our lives are reduced to forms, procedures, legal language, and decisions beyond our control? For immigrants navigating complex legal and bureaucratic systems, these experiences can carry profound emotional and psychological consequences for individuals and families. Before The Courtroom, psychologist Sandra Wartski explores the human experience of navigating an impersonal system when the stakes could not be more personal. Drawing on psychological concepts including chronic uncertainty, hypervigilance, ambiguous loss, dehumanizing language, perceived injustice, and the struggle for agency, this pre-show conversation invites audiences to consider the emotional experiences that exist beyond the official record. What happens to immigrants and their families when they are caught inside a system they may struggle to understand, influence, or escape?

Following 2pm matinee performance of The Courtroom, join the cast on October 17 for a special post-show conversation. Hear about what it was like working on this show during this time...and how they adjusted to using real transcripts!