06. “Happiness,” a play by Marilia Samper

A full-length contemporary drama. Translated from Catalan to English by Steven Capsuto through a grant from the Catalandrama Project. Professional performance rights available.

In this well-crafted play, residents of a small apartment building almost come to blows over whether to install a wheelchair ramp that one of their younger neighbors needs.

The London professional production of my English translation (Cervantes Theatre, 2022) received enthusiastic reviews.

PRAISE FOR THE LONDON AND BARCELONA PRODUCTIONS:

“Astonishingly compelling… The ninety minutes flew by in this edgy and intense production.” – LondonTheatre1, 2022

“Not to be missed… One of the most beautiful stories I’ve seen recently… The characters are complex and full of contradictions, just like in life.” – El País, 2017

“The script never loses steam. It approaches its sensitive subject without any of the mawkish preachiness that could have undermined it. The playwright leaves theatergoers wondering what they would do in this situation.” – El Periódico (Barcelona), 2017

“A moving play… [presented in a] beautifully succinct translation by Steven Capsuto.” – Latino Life UK, 2022

“Hard cases make bad law, but as Marilia Samper’s play (beautifully translated by Steven Capsuto) proves, they can make good drama.” – Broadway World UK, 2022

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Members of the New Play Exchange can find out more about this script at https://newplayexchange.org/script/3227259/happiness-by-marilia-samper.