''Fabric'', written by playwright

Henry Ong Henry Ong (November 23, 1949 – September 29, 2018) was an internationally produced playwright whose works have been produced at the Old Globe Theatre, San Diego; Singapore Repertory Theatre; Latchmere Theatre, London; Queens Theatre in the P ...

, is the only known dramatization of the 1995

El Monte Thai Garment Slavery Case On August 2, 1995, 72 Thai nationals were found working in conditions of slavery in a makeshift garment factory consisting of a row of residential duplexes in El Monte, California, just east of Los Angeles. This case is considered the first recogn ...

. It was produced by the

Company of Angels Company of Angels, now known simply as CoA is an American theatre company, based in Los Angeles and founded in 1959. The original company, incorporated by entertainment attorney Bertram Fields, included actors Richard Chamberlain, Leonard Nimoy, V ...

in 2010, in partnership with the

Thai Community Development Center The Thai Community Development Center (Thai CDC) is a nonprofit NGO in Los Angeles, California that assists Thai and other immigrants. History Thai CDC was founded by Chanchanit Martorell on April 13, 1994, with the idea that all peoples have a b ...

to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the landmark case. In 2015, it was reprised and presented at the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

as part of a month-long celebration of the 20th anniversary of the case.

Background

On August 2, 1995, in El Monte, California, 72 Thai nationals were discovered working and living in an apartment complex ringed with barbed wire and spiked fences, sewing clothes for major retailers and manufacturers. Some of the captives had been held for as long as seven years by the leader of a human trafficking ring, "Auntie Suni." The story made national and international headlines as the first case of modern-day slavery since the abolishment of slavery in the United States.

Production

Playwright

, upon reading an account of the raid in the Los Angeles Times, contacted

Chanchanit Martorell Chanchanit Martorell (born in Bangkok, Thailand), is an activist, educator, urban planner, and a community development practitioner. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Thai Community Development Center (Thai CDC). Early life Born in T ...

, executive director of the

. Martorell agreed to put Ong in touch with the people involved in the case, including the Thai garment workers. Ong received a

City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs is the official Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the ...

grant to write the play. In addition to interviews with the principal players, Ong did extensive research and visited the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

that created an exhibit on the history of garment workers to collect additional data and information. He developed the play over the years through workshops and readings.

Singapore Repertory Theatre Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) is a non-profit professional theatre company founded in 1993. It is located at the KC Arts Centre – Home of SRT at 20 Merbau Road, Singapore. The current artistic director is Gaurav Kripalani while its manag ...

staged ''Fabric'' in a world premiere in 2000. This was followed by a production by Nomad Theater in Surrey, England the next year. Company of Angels produced it in 2010, in association with Thai Community Development Center, in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the Thai garment workers slavery case.

Synopsis

The play interweaves two stories. The first follows a group of Thai nationals who are lured by a human trafficking ring into coming to America to work in a garment factory, masterminded by a Thai national (aka Auntie Suni) who was assisted by her sons and daughters in-law. Once here, these workers found themselves confined in an apartment building that had been converted into an underground sewing shop. Under the thumb of Auntie Suni, the men and women were forced to work long hours (from 7 a.m. to midnight) with no weekend breaks or holidays to pay off their debts to the traffickers.Kimitch, Rebecca
“Play Brings Back Horror of El Monte Sweatshop and Slavery Case”
"

San Gabriel Valley Tribune The ''San Gabriel Valley Tribune'' is a paid daily newspaper located in Monrovia, California, that serves the central and eastern San Gabriel Valley. It operated at the West Covina location from 1955 to 2015. The ''Tribune'' is a member of Souther ...

" San Gabriel Valley. 17 July 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2015. The other thread in the narrative involves a law enforcement investigation. A garment worker escapes from the premise. She speaks about her predicament to an Immigration Officer, who is familiar with Thai culture, having worked in Thailand for many years and is married to a Thai woman. Through investigations by both the

Immigration and Naturalization Service The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor from 1933 to 1940 and the U.S. Department of Justice from 1940 to 2003. Referred to by some as former INS and by others as legacy INS, ...

; and the State Labor Commission, a raid is planned on the apartment complex. Auntie Suni, the ring leader, and her family members are arrested and brought to justice. The workers are freed and allowed to live in the United States.

References

{{Reflist Asian-American plays American plays Plays set in Los Angeles Plays about slavery 2010 plays History of slavery in California