Boyle Heights in the spotlight in play created by college students

MONTEREY PARK, Calif. (KABC) -- 'Visions of Boyle Heights' is a play that sheds light on the displacement struggles families faced over generations and their resilience of not giving up in Boyle Heights.

The Storytheatre students at East Los Angeles College, who crafted this theatrical performance from scratch, went out into the community and interviewed residents.

"We definitely say that 'Visions of Boyle Heights' is loosely based on the interviews of people who grew up in Boyle Heights," Robert Anaya, acting student at ELAC, said.

Students started the interviews in the fall semester. Then used those interviews to write the play, before they portrayed the characters on stage.

"Within the 1949 period of this play, we do have Jewish-New Yorkers and Asian-Americans as well," Anaya said. "So, it's very diverse, we have a cast of Latinos, Asians and stuff."

Even though the play depicts a fictional family trying to make ends meet, the scenes portray realistic events still happening today.

"The pinnacle moment when the youngest Daniel reveals that he is gay and how it shakes the whole family," Beatriz Magana, acting student at ELAC, said. "It shakes up the whole family because it's connected to a loan that was going to get them to have a prosperous business of a mariachi store."

"Knowing the history does give you this comfort in knowing that there is a big struggle, there are a lot of problems, but at the end of the day we can figure it out and it's going to be okay," Jimmy Solis, acting student at ELAC, said.

The play debuted this March with showings all across the community and at the first-ever 'Festival of the Arts' at ELAC.

More info to come on the next shows.

East LA College students create play on history of Boyle Heights