14

14 was inspired by the true-life event in May 2001 in which a smuggler abandoned 30 Mexicans crossing the desert near Yuma, Ariz., resulting in 14 deaths due to dehydration. The play is an ethnographic exploration of immigration in the United States, in particular, coming from the perspectives of people living on the Arizona (U.S.) border and Mexico. While the play is set in the Southwest, it is reflective of the type of dialogue happening nationwide. It is a fictionalized series of monologues based on playwright interviews and public accounts of Arizonans and Mexicans and their different attitudes toward the contemporary issues of not only immigration but also race and public policy.