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La Gringa (English)

  • Carmen Rivera
  • Full Length Play, Comedy, Present Day, Contemporary
  • 3M, 3F
  • ISBN: 9780573663352

90 minutes of laughter... Carmen Rivera has captured the spirit of the Puerto Rican experience.

D.J.R. Bruckner, The New York Times

Carmen Rivera's deft playwriting delivers Maria from her personality crisis with spiritual transcendence.

Ed Morales, The Village Voice

More information

Description

  • Full Length Play
  • Comedy
  • 105 minutes

  • Time Period: Present Day, Contemporary
  • Target Audience: Adult, Pre-Teen (Age 11 - 13), Teen (Age 14 - 18), Appropriate for all audiences, Senior
  • Set Requirements: Interior Set, Exterior Set, Bare Stage/Simple Set
  • Cautions: No Special Cautions

  • Performance Group:
  • Large Stage, Community Theatre, High School/Secondary, Professional Theatre, Shoestring Budget, Blackbox / Second Stage /Fringe Groups, College Theatre / Student, Church / Religious Groups, Senior Theatre

  • Accolades:
  • Winner! 1996 Obie Award
La Gringa is about a young woman's search for her identity. Mari­a Elena Garcia goes to visit her family in Puerto Rico during the Christmas holidays and arrives with plans to connect with her homeland. Although this is her first trip to Puerto Rico, she has had an intense love for the island and even majored in Puerto Rican Studies in college.

Once Maria is in Puerto Rico, she realizes that Puerto Rico does not welcome her with open arms. The majority of the Puerto Ricans on the island consider her an American – a gringa - and Mari­a considers this a betrayal. If she's a Puerto Rican in the United States and an American in Puerto Rico – Maria concludes that she is nobody everywhere. Her uncle, Manolo, spiritually teaches her that identity isn't based on superficial and external definitions, but rather is an essence that she has had all along in her heart.

This play is published in a bilingual edition, if you are applying for licensing rights please state which version you wish to produce.
REVIEWS:

90 minutes of laughter...Carmen Rivera has captured the spirit of the Puerto Rican experience.' - D.J.R. Bruckner, The New York Times'Carmen Rivera's deft playwriting delivers Maria from her personality crisis with spiritual transcendence.

Ed Morales The Village Voice

Carmen Rivera has succeeded in giving voice to the cultural search of Puerto Ricans raised in the Tower of Babel.

Juan Mendez El Diario - La Presa
Premiere Production: La Gringa (Spanish version) opened at the Spanish Repertory Theatre in February of 1996. That year the play won an Obie award and it is still in repertory as of 2012. It is the longest running Off-Broadway Spanish language play. Both Spanish and English versions are available at Samuel French.

Characters

  • Casting: 3M, 3F
  • Casting Attributes: Ensemble cast, All Latino, Parts for Senior Actors, Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle), Strong Role for Leading Man (Star Vehicle)

MARÍA ELENA GARCÍA – 22 year-old Puerto Rican-American woman, born and raised in New York City; considered a “Nuyorican;” young and naïve
MANOLO COFRESÍ – early 60s, her uncle; had dreams of pursuing acting when he was young; although he is very ill and near death, he possesses a lively spirit and a great sense of humor
IRIS BURGOS – María’s cousin, 24 years old; extroverted and a bit jealous of her cousin María
NORMA BURGOS – María’s aunt, Iris’ mother, and Manolo’s sister, late 50s; never pursued her dream of being a singer and lives with much bitterness and resentment in her spirit
VÍCTOR BURGOS – Norma’s husband, early 60s; possesses a great deal of positive energy and has a huge capacity for love
RAMÓN “MONCHI” REYES – a neighbor, 24 years old; has an entrepreneurial spirit; started his own farm and falls in love with María.

Available Material

Name Price
La Gringa (English) Script Order Now

La Gringa is about a young woman's search for her identity. Mari­a Elena Garcia goes to visit her family in Puerto Rico during the Christmas holidays and arrives with plans to connect with her homeland. Although this is her first trip to Puerto Rico, she has had an intense love for the island and even majored in Puerto Rican Studies in college. Once Maria is in Puerto Rico, she realizes that Puerto Rico does not welcome her with open arms. The majority of the Puerto Ricans on the island consider her an American – a gringa - and Mari­a considers this a betrayal. If she's a Puerto Rican in the United States and an American in Puerto Rico – Maria concludes that she is nobody everywhere. Her uncle, Manolo, spiritually teaches her that identity isn't based on superficial and external definitions, but rather is an essence that she has had all along in her heart. This play is published in a bilingual edition, if you are applying for licensing rights please state which version you wish to produce.

$24.95

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