The San Jacinto College South Campus Theater Department is presenting “A Confusion of Human Being,” a heartrending original production about immigrants coming to the United States to pursue the American dream.

Theater professor Kevin Holden is directing the show, and he drew material from interviewing activists, stories submitted by students, and online literature to create the original narrative.

Although inspired by “De Donde,” a play focused on illegal immigrants migrating from Mexico to Texas, “A Confusion of Human Being” presents people from around the world in their pursuit of happiness in America. However, their stories are told while the characters are being processed for deportation.

One of the challenges the director faced while writing the play was to capture a heartfelt story that offered a theatrical twist to keep the audience entertained. But Holden said, in addition to offering amusement, he wants to “educate” the audience and provoke the question, “are we doing ourselves and our fellow human beings a service by doing what we are doing?”

If the show’s run goes well, Holden may bring the production back for a second round of performances during the spring. In the meantime, he said he would like audience members to absorb the complexity of the immigration debate and consider how it affects those involved, and how “it is being handled” from all sides.

“How the immigrants handle it,” Holden said. “How American society handles it and believes in it. And our policies on it. Are they good or are they bad?”

Performances of “A Confusion of Human Being” will take place Nov. 9-11 and Nov. 16-18 in the theater of the Marie Spence Flickinger Fine Arts Center (S15) on the South Campus. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m.