LA GRINGA

La Gringa by Carmen Rivera

Maria-a Nuyorican decides to travel to Puerto Rico to finally meet her family and in search of her “Roots”.  But when she arrives she finds that nothing is like what she expected.  La Gringa is play about finding that place where you came from in order to find yourself.

A message from our director Sheila M. Lopez:

The first time I read La Gringa it felt like I was in a house of mirrors where Carmen (the writer), Maria (the protagonist) and I (the reader) were each other’s reflections. I fell in love with this profound literature.  Carmen’s “comic dialogue” gives relief to the difficult topics of identity, belonging, assimilation, acceptance and roots. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and came to the United States twenty seven years ago. Still each day I struggle with my cultural diversity: the “Puerto Rican” and the “American”. Each day I face that unavoidable question; have I crossed to the other side? So many times hunted by the bigger issue; “which one is the other”.

So many people have said to me that I don’t look “Puerto Rican”.  Some Americans say that I am too white to be from the “island” while some Puerto Ricans say that I am “muy hincha” to be a “puertorra”. Not long ago I was told that I speak English too well “considering” Spanish is my first language. The list of things that connect me to La Gringa is endless.

I am just so grateful that Carmen wrote this play, and gave us all a medium to explore together, our cultural differences and celebrate our cultural similarities.

Con mucho cariño,

Sheila