News Release
December 1, 2005
"Simply Maria" At North High School Friday, Dec. 2 And Saturday, Dec. 3; Denver Premier By The Creator Of The HBO Film, "Real Women Have Curves"
North High School's Black Masque Theatre Company opens its third year under the direction of Jose Mercado with the satirical comedy "Simply Maria," written by Josefina Lopez, the celebrated writer of the hit HBO film, "Real Women Have Curves."
"Simply Maria" is an Emmy Award-winning comedy that tells the story of Maria, a young Latina aspiring to go to college and become an actress but is ordered by her father's to get married instead. Maria is so upset she cries herself to sleep and has a nightmare where she gets married, has six babies, and gets attacked by a tortilla.
"Simply Maria" made its premier in San Diego in 1989 in a co-production of KPBS/San Diego and California Young Playwrights Project and won an Emmy in 1989 for Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment Programming. Josefina Lopez was born in Mexico in 1969. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was five. She lived in East Los Angeles and attended Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and wrote "Simply Maria" at the age of 17. Ms. Lopez says that "frustration over the lack of Latino voices in theatre inspired her to write her first play." Presently, Ms. Lopez is the most produced Latina playwright in the country.
Josefina Lopez wrote the acclaimed play "Real Women Have Curves" at 19 years of age. In 2002 she co-wrote the screenplay for HBO, and the film version won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and became a national hit in movie theaters.
Jose Mercado met Josefina Lopez while the two were students in MFA programs at UCLA's School of Theatre, Film and Television; Mercado was in the acting program, Lopez is the screenwriting program. The two reunited last summer at a fundraiser in Denver at a time when North High's Black Masque Theatre Company was one of 50 high schools chosen to join the U.S. contingent and perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland in 2006. Mercado has chosen "Simply Maria" as the play North High will perform in Edinburgh.
"Simply Maria" will play at the Katharine Ommanney Auditorium at North High School on Friday Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. and Saturday Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults. They are available at North High School or at Common Grounds Coffee House (West 32nd Ave. and Lowell Blvd.) in northwest Denver.
For more information, call North High School at 720-423-2700 or 720-423-2746. North High School is located at 2960 N. Speer Blvd.