Two years ago, Orange County’s South Coast Repertory commissioned playwright José Gonzalez to write a play about the city of Santa Ana. But the job came with unusual instructions for developing the plot.

"We went into the community and engaged with about 1,200 people from Santa Ana in story circles," Gonzalez said. At workshops held across the city over the course of a year, Gonzalez heard residents tell stories about daily life in their immigrant community: buying fruit from vendors downtown, struggling to keep up with the rent, fears of being deported.

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