Play Reading: A Happy Country (Un País Feliz) by Maruxa Vilalta (1964)

Mon, Dec 8 2025
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Library for Arts & Culture

adults BPL Presents humanities and art

A Happy Country (Un País Feliz) by Maruxa Vilalta (1964)


If you’re seeking a play about revolution where the family drama is the political drama… consider this powerful portrait of love, protest, class, and voyeurism. This play follows the recently impoverished Jiménez family in an unnamed Spanish-speaking country as complex conversations are brought to the foreground by the arrival of a tourist staying in their home. How do you balance your activism with your desire to just live? Do you fight for your family, or your country? And how do you be an ethical tourist in a culture that is not your own? This play leaves an audience asking all the right questions and drawing their own timely parallels.
 
Join us for an evening of reading and discussion, with cast to be announced soon.
 
About the Author
Maruxa Vilalta (1932-2014) is a highly acclaimed Catalan-born Mexican playwright, novelist, and director. She was born to two lawyer parents in Barcelona – where her mother was the first woman to graduate from the law school. They moved to Mexico at the beginning of the Spanish Civil war. She wrote numerous novels and plays, and won Mexico’s national prize for Arts and Sciences in 2010.

Presented in partnership with Expand the Canon.

Expand the Canon celebrates classic plays by women & underrepresented genders – and is a call to action to produce them. Our mission is to amplify the voices of historic women and underrepresented writers who have always deserved a place in the theatrical canon, creating a legacy of storytelling with gender equity at its core. We’re changing the narrative by pushing for their work on stages, in classrooms, and in the hearts of audiences. By partnering with theaters, advocacy groups, and educators, we’re creating space for their stories today — and inspiring the storytellers of tomorrow. 

Our 52 carefully-curated titles are timely, relevant, and producible. Featured plays span 1600-1990, 16 countries, 11 languages of origin, cast sizes ranging from 1 to 25+, many styles and topics… but all are excellent. Plays on the Expand the Canon lists have since been seen at major companies like Roundabout Theatre, Repertorio Español, The Classical Theatre of Harlem, Island Shakespeare Festival, The Stratford Festival, Classic Stage Company, and Theatre for a New Audience. The lists have helped shape curricula of universities across the country. Additionally, Expand the Canon has grown their research database to 9,000+ historic plays by women and gender-expansive writers.  To access 52 classic plays, playwright bios, summaries, pitches, producing information, podcast episodes, & more, visit expandthecanon.com. 

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Add to My Calendar 12/08/2025 06:30 pm 12/08/2025 08:30 pm America/New_York Play Reading: A Happy Country (Un País Feliz) by Maruxa Vilalta (1964) <h4>A Happy Country (Un País Feliz)&nbsp;by Maruxa Vilalta (1964)</h4><div><br>If you’re seeking a play about revolution where the family drama is the political drama… consider this powerful portrait of love, protest, class, and voyeurism. This play follows the recently impoverished Jiménez family in an unnamed Spanish-speaking country as complex conversations are brought to the foreground by the arrival of a tourist staying in their home. How do you balance your activism with your desire to just live? Do you fight for your family, or your country? And how do you be an ethical tourist in a culture that is not your own? This play leaves an audience asking all the right questions and drawing their own timely parallels.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Join us for an evening of reading and discussion, with cast to be announced soon.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><h5>About the Author</h5><div>Maruxa Vilalta (1932-2014) is a highly acclaimed Catalan-born Mexican playwright, novelist, and director. She was born to two lawyer parents in Barcelona – where her mother was the first woman to graduate from the law school. They moved to Mexico at the beginning of the Spanish Civil war. She wrote numerous… Brooklyn Public Library - Library for Arts & Culture MM/DD/YYYY 60
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