It’s a law-school lecture hall — not a place ordinarily associated with the Thespian tradition. Yet, the improvised stage lights and imposing backdrop suit the stage well and the subject matter even better.

Nearly 40 pairs of eyes show through the darkness as the real-life legal proceedings unfold in “De Novo,” a documentary play put on by Houses on the Moon Theater Company at ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law.

“De Novo” — a legal term meaning to hear a case as if for the first time — depicts the struggle of immigrant children who, after being brought to the United States illegally, find themselves embroiled in an unforgiving legal system.

The play promises at its onset that every piece of dialogue comes from actual legal records. This play, while dramatic, is no simple drama.

It follows the story of Edgar, a juvenile boy who escapes the gangs and violence of Central America by coming to the U.S. only to be deported back to Columbia, and his death by gang violence.

If you had any doubts as to the support afforded the play and the issue behind it, just find a playbill — there are almost more sponsors than audience members. But as I took in the play’s message, the story seemed surprisingly novel.

“Our mission is to tell untold stories,” said Emily Weiner, one of the actors whose bio blends experience from the classics and the esoteric. Edgar’s story, and the story of other illegal immigrants, finds so few outlets. She said she’s glad to give it a voice.

For such a pressing and controversial issue as illegal immigration, we rarely see such complete stories — stories from life before immigration to life after deportation. Completeness affords something deeper than statistics and border reports; it gives insight into the conditions behind the crime.

Equal representation, justice, basic rights — things so integral to the American legal system — are hardly afforded to the children of illegal immigrants, who despite not being American, still wind up in our legal system.

Juveniles simply cannot be placed before the legal system unrepresented. They stand no chance.

At least one organization in the Phoenix area agrees.

The Florence Project, a local nonprofit that sponsored “De Novo,” seeks to provide pro-bono representation in immigrant-removal proceedings. Lawyers and social workers come together to give immigrants at least the representation needed to navigate the legal enigmas surrounding immigrants’ rights.

They need all the help they can get. Children brought to the U.S. as illegal immigrants face incredible challenges.

It seems a double standard not to afford more protection to illegal juveniles as the system does for legal juveniles. Both have broken the law, but the latter is afforded a chance to rehabilitate.

The problem only compounds as immigration reform hits the backburner of the national agenda. The Obama administration, continuing its reform rhetoric, has placed the issue at the bottom of its gigantic to-do list. Even with help from former Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, who seems to understand the intricacies of immigrant problems in the border states, the voices for reform are drowned out by front-page problems like the economy or health care.

Advocacy for illegal immigrants brings the issues back to the discussion. This is what makes plays like “De Novo” and organizations like the Florence Project so important. Our legal and political system requires that not just people, but also ideas have representatives.

If you need a subject for your next documentary play, feel free to e-mail Channing at channing.turner@asu.edu .