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Simply Maria, or the American Dream

This wildly funny play tells the story of Maria, a young, precocious Latina aspiring to be an actor, and her dream of going to college.

  • One Act
  • Comedy
  • 50 minutes

  • Time Period: Contemporary
  • Target Audience: Teen (Age 14 - 18)
  • Set Requirements: Area Staging

  • Performance Group:
  • Community Theatre, High School/Secondary
This wildly funny play tells the story of Maria, a young, precocious Latina aspiring to be an actor, and her dream of going to college.

The story begins in Mexico with Maria's parents eloping. Maria is born, and shortly after they leave for the U.S. her father, Ricardo, tells Maria that in America, with an education, she can have the American dream. Maria believes him and studies hard. However, when she tells her parents she wants to go to college, they order her to get married instead.

Maria is so upset she cries herself to sleep and has a nightmare in which her American self and her Mexican self wrestle with each other. She gets married and gives birth to six babies. Her wedding dress attacks her and a giant tortilla squashes her. Maria is awakened by her mother's crying and overhears her confronting Ricardo about his affairs.

Maria is shocked by the news and realizes she has to go to college in order to be economically independent of men and have the life that she wants, one that combines the best of her two worlds. 

  • Casting: 4M, 6F
  • Casting Attributes: Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle), Minority casting

Name Price
Simply Maria, or the American Dream Script Order Now

This wildly funny play tells the story of Maria, a young, precocious Latina aspiring to be an actor, and her dream of going to college. The story begins in Mexico with Maria's parents eloping. Maria is born, and shortly after they leave for the U.S. her father, Ricardo, tells Maria that in America, with an education, she can have the American dream. Maria believes him and studies hard. However, when she tells her parents she wants to go to college, they order her to get married instead. Maria is so upset she cries herself to sleep and has a nightmare in which her American self and her Mexican self wrestle with each other. She gets married and gives birth to six babies. Her wedding dress attacks her and a giant tortilla squashes her. Maria is awakened by her mother's crying and overhears her confronting Ricardo about his affairs. Maria is shocked by the news and realizes she has to go to college in order to be economically independent of men and have the life that she wants, one that combines the best of her two worlds. Area staging. Approximate running time: 50 minutes.

$19.95