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Born and raised in Watsonville, California, José Cruz Gonza虂lez is a prolific playwright, director, and lyricist with humble beginnings.

“My grandmother was a strawberry woman, and my grandfather was a lettuce man. One of my first homes was a barrack, living with other migrant workers,” he told the earlier this year.

As Gonza虂lez began writing and studying the craft of theater, he noticed the dearth of stories about Mexican-American communities like his. Drawing on the tradition of storytelling in his lineage and celebrated works from Chicano theater, Gonza虂lez set out to make his mark on the theater world.

Through the South Coast Repertory Theater, Gonza虂lez created the Hispanic Playwrights’ Project in 1988, ground-breaking for its time. “The idea is to get the work out to other theaters looking for Hispanic material or that are interested in particular writers,” he told the

After completing graduate programs in theater arts and directing from Arizona State University and University of California, Irvine respectively, Gonza虂lez made a splash with early works like Harvest Moon. Hosted by The Group, Seattle’s Multicultural Theater in 1994, the play captures the struggles of farmworkers by following Mariluz, a Chicana muralist dying of cancer who paints a mural for her son. With a stellar cast performance, Harvest Moon garnered first place at the theater’s 1991 Multicultural Playwrights' Festival.

Gonza虂lez went on to amplify Latinx-centered narratives through works like American Mariachi, Sunsets & Margaritas, and The Astronaut Farmworker. He has written for PAZ, the Emmy Award nominated television series produced by Discovery Kids for The Learning Channel, and has a special commitment to empowering underserved youth through theater. “Children are the most honest audiences,” he told American Theatre.

After showcasing his works across the country with critical acclaim, Gonza虂lez now serves as Professor Emeritus at California State University Los Angeles, and looks to the next generation of playwrights to build on his work.