(HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- Ritz Theatre Company presents La Gringa by Carmen Rivera weekends from September 4-20, 2026 in their intimate black box space. Directed by Edwin “Rico” Santiago, the play is about María Elena Garcia, a young Puerto Rican woman born and raised in New York City, travels to Puerto Rico for the first time during Christmas, hoping to connect with her roots and find a sense of belonging.
María romanticizes the island and believes that being in Puerto Rico will complete her identity. However, when she arrives and meets her extended family, she is surprised to find that they see her as a “gringa”—an outsider—because she was raised in the U.S. and doesn’t speak fluent Spanish.
As María tries to understand her family and immerse herself in Puerto Rican culture, she is forced to confront her assumptions and redefine what it means to be Puerto Rican. The play explores the tension between the diaspora and the island, between American and Puerto Rican identity, and how one’s sense of self can be challenged by perceptions from both sides.
Through moments of humor, conflict, and heartfelt dialogue, LA GRINGA ultimately conveys a powerful message about the complexity of bicultural identity and the universal quest to find one’s place in the world.
Performances take place Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00pm; Sunday matinees at 2:00pm. There is also a Saturday matinee at 3:00pm on September 12 and a Wednesday night performance at 7:30pm on September 16. Tickets are $40 and available for purchase online. The venue is located at 915 White Horse Pike in Haddon Township, New Jersey.
Playwright Carmen Rivera holds an MA in Playwriting and Latin American Theatre from New York University. Her play, La Gringa, was part of the OBIE Award Winning Series New Voices in 1996 and this year, celebrated its 29th year anniversary in repertory at Repertorio Español. It is now the 2nd longest running play in Off-Broadway history after The Fantasticks. It was published in both English and Spanish by Concord Theatrical Productions (Formerly Samuel French.)
Off-Broadway productions include: Celia: The Life and Music of Celia Cruz (Co-written with Cándido Tirado) - (HOLA Award, Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting); La Lupe: My Life, My Destiny (ACE Award – Best Production); Julia de Burgos: Child of Water; and To Catch the Lightning (Nomination ACE Award – Best Production), which was also published by No Passport Press.
La Caída De Rafael Trujillo (The Downfall of Rafael Trujillo) received an ATI (Artistas Teatro Independientes) Award for Best Production at Teatro Círculo, which recently revived the play for a fourth production. Both English and Spanish versions were recently published by Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW).
Other works include: Riding The Bear (Honorable Mention – Kilroy’s List, 2016), which was recently featured in a reading series, produced by Dramatic Question Theatre at The Flea; The Magic of the Salsa Kingdom, with director/choreographer, Maria Torres; The Loves of our Lives; The Next Cycle; Betty’s Garage; Ghosts in Brooklyn; ameRICAN; Delia’s Race; Plastic Flowers; The Power of Words; La Pesadilla (The Nightmare); ameRICAN; The Nurse; Julia; A State of Bliss; Delia’s Race; Caravan of Death and a co-writer in The XY Stories, which have appeared at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) INTAR; The Women’s Project & Productions; New Georges; La Mama E.T.C.; SOHO Rep; HERE; New Perspectives Theatre; Songs Of Coconut Hill Theatre Festival; Ballet Hispánico of New York; This American Life - National Public Radio (NPR); The Point; La TEA; Theatre for a New City; The Nuyorican Poet’s Café; The Latino Experimental Fantastic Theatre (L.E.F.T. – Founding Member); The Henry Street Settlement; The Julia de Burgos Café Teatro; Aaron Davis Hall; Dixon Place; El Puente; City Lights Youth Theatre/Lower East Side Tenement Museum; Theatre 22; Urbantheater Company in Chicago; Raíces Theatre in Buffalo; Martice Enterprises in Dallas; Taller Puertorriqueño in Philadelphia; the American Alliance for Theatre and Education Conference; Just Add Water Festival at New York Theatre Workshop and at Theatre Festivals in Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Puerto Rico and Moscow.
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