"Somewhere Over the Border" crosses frontiers

In a new show, playwright and actor Brian Quijada uses a North American children's story to frame a Central American immigrant story.

The show: "Somewhere Over the Border," performed by Teatro Vista at the Windy City Playhouse through June 12.

The inspiration: Quijada's mother's journey back to El Salvador to find the son she left there. "She came back a changed person," he tells Axios.

• "It then occurred to me that much of my mother's story reminded me of 'The Wizard of Oz.' The story almost wrote itself."

The goal: "To bring empathy to the American immigrant," he says. "To pay my respects to my parents. There are many, many border stories out there, but not many plays or musicals that reflect the Central American experience, and not many that are funny!"

• "I hope people leave humming cumbia songs and thinking about their own families’ stories and realize that all our stories are much more alike than they are different. All of us are in pursuit of safety and happiness."