'Happily Ever After'

‘Scenes of Love, Marriage and the Battle of Sexes’ at the World Premiere of Cristina Colmena’s play at the Ambassador Theater in Washington, D.C.

There is nothing but troubles and desire

Synopsis

One and one not always equals two. The couple and its complicated arithmetic through three stories where characters want to be happy but they don´t know how. When you get stood up, when you wake up beside a stranger, when after thirty years you don´t know what to speak about. The loneliness of sleeping alone and of sleeping with someone. Why one plus one may equal nothing?

Three couples of different ages, representing a lifetime of romantic struggles, are crippled by fears and insecurities and unable to find fulfilment in love. We see young lovers bound by a powerful attraction yet destined to part; cynical middle aged ‘one night standers’ failing to act on a promising encounter; and an older, deeply unhappy couple keeping up appearances after thirty years of marriage.

The compelling dark comedy and it’s high emotional resonance present a chance for self-reflection and an opportunity to learn from the characters’ mistakes. All three ‘un-love’ stories are poignant reminders that if we keep sitting on the fence, fearful and pessimistic, happiness may never come!

The play was written in 2013 by Cristina Colmena, a writer and playwright born in Spain, currently living in New York. She writes short stories, articles and film reviews. Her plays, Typing and Happily Ever After, were included in the New Plays from Spain series as part of the PEN World Voices Festival 2013.

About the author

Cristina Colmena, writer and playwright born in Spain, has lived in New York since 2010. She has published a book of short stories, La amabilidad de los extraños (The Kindness of Strangers), and several of her short stories have appeared in literary magazines.  Her plays, Typing  and Happily Ever After, were included in the New Plays from Spain series as part of the PEN World Voices Festival 2013. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual Communication and Journalism and has worked as a director and screenwriter for television. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing in Spanish from New York University, where she is currently pursuing a PhD in Spanish and Portuguese Literature.  She is also a contributor of articles and film reviews for various publications.

Opening reception on March 13 at after the show. Q&A with Cristina Colmena after the show on Friday, March 14.