The 2009-10 Fort Lewis College theater season gets under way Saturday with the combined forces of FLC students and members of A Theatre Group from Silverton. The groups will tackle the emotional, and at times maddening, 2003 play "Los Once," by playwright Finnian Sullivan.

"Los Once," or "The Eleven," dramatizes the true story of 11 men and women from Mexico and Central America who arrived in Iowa in 2002 seeking low-wage work. All were found dead inside a locked railway car. Sullivan's play uses music, dance and dramatic readings to bring stark reality to a journey made by millions of immigrants who seek work in the United States.

It's the first collaboration between the two drama groups.

"The joint effort is a very important one, as it gives Fort Lewis theater and dance students an opportunity to collaborate with mentor actors, a prominent guest director and company actors from Silverton's A Theatre Group," said Molly Mook-Fiddler, the artistic director of A Theatre Group.

Saturday's performance is a benefit for the FLC Theater Department's scholarship fund.

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