American playwright Neil Labute has, I am sure, many fans in the UK, so I expect our readers are no strangers to his work. So you’ll be excited to hear that, for the next few weeks, a collection of short plays by the renowned writer will be staged at the King’s Head Theatre and Greenwich Theatre. 

You’ll need to attend three separate shows to see every last one of these plays, but I reckon it will absolutely be worth the effort. 

I wanted to find out more about the show, so had a chat with one of the members of the cast: Anna María, who grew up in Texas but is now resident in London. 

CM: Can we talk, firstly, about the structure of ‘America The Beautiful’ – it’s a collection of short plays, right? How does it work? 
AM: Let’s absolutely talk about it! ‘America The Beautiful’ is a collection of ten short plays by the one and only Neil Labute. We’ve divided those ten plays into three ‘chapters’, with each chapter being a week long.

In chapter one we’re performing three plays; in chapter two we’re performing three more; and in chapter three we’re performing the final four. If anyone comes to all three chapters, they will have seen ten incredible works of art.

CM: And how does it work re roles – are the cast performing in multiple plays each?
AM: I think the brilliant Greenwich marketing team truly put it best: “Four actors, three chapters, two venues, one writer”.

The core cast of four actors performs in each chapter, with all of us taking on multiple roles throughout the line-up. It’s a heck of an exercise – I feel like our acting muscles are being stretched and whipped into shape, in the most delicious way possible.

CM: Are there overarching themes that connect all of the plays? Or themes that connect the groups of plays?
AM: The plays have been curated by James Haddrell – our director – and Neil LaBute himself into one coherent project, with each chapter having its own distinct feel as well.

We were just discussing in rehearsal the other day that attending chapters one, two AND three will literally feel like a complete, three-act journey as an audience member.

Neil absolutely has a few key themes woven throughout his work, even though each play is so different. He writes incisively about the brutality of power in the United States – which I believe is absolutely resonant in the United Kingdom as well – and how that systemic brutality is replicated on an individual level. 

There has been so, so much discussion and language emerging in the mainstream over the last decade around identity, and Neil often uses that as a lens to examine how our understanding of the self – and the other – reflects the relative health of our society.

‘America The Beautiful’ is fundamentally a body of work that dissects how the powers that be have radically shaped us – and, at times, broken us – and how that impact shows up in our everyday lives and interpersonal relationships.

All this to say: If you’re in the mood for an unflinching examination of the ugliest, wildest, loveliest and most tragic aspects of the human condition, you’re in for a treat!

CM: Do you have a favourite play?
AM: Unfortunately, as a fan of Neil’s work, I find it virtually impossible to pick a favourite… Especially now that I’ve started working on the plays and thus fallen even more fiercely in love with them.

I’m also loath to give any spoilers, as I think these pieces are best experienced with little to no prior knowledge – although audience members who feel they benefit from content warnings should definitely seek them out.

But here’s what I can say: My four plays are ‘The Possible’ in chapter one; ‘Over The River And Through The Woods’ in chapter two; and ‘Life Model’ and ‘Saint Louis’ in chapter three.

I’m doing the first three with my angelic and insanely talented castmate Maya-Nika Bewley, so those who come to all three chapters will see us tell three acutely different stories together.

Acting alongside Maya-Nika has been my favorite aspect of this entire process; she’s absolutely heavenly to work with, she’s abundantly joyful and talented, and we are literally never not having a ball.

‘The Possible’ is perhaps the play I have the most fun with, and is I think the most hopeful piece in our entire project. ‘Over The River And Through The Woods’ is delicious in its devastation, and that’s all I’ll say on that front.

‘Life Model’ is confronting… in more ways than one – insert winky face here! And ‘Saint Louis’ is a masterclass in unreliable narrators – and my character in that play is the one I actually feel the most protective over!

CM: Can you tell us about your roles in the production?
AM: Absolutely! I’m over the moon by the range present in my roles, and am mostly just really grateful that James, our director, has trusted me with this kind of work.

It’s been so satisfying and fun to get to inhabit four very, very different lives and personhoods.

Without spoiling too much, I play a hot-blooded young woman in ‘The Possible’ who would do just about anything – and I do mean anything – to win the heart of the person she loves. She’s absolutely bonkers and I love her.

In ‘Over the River’, I play a heartbreakingly brave teenage girl who has been through a horrid, vile ordeal, but believes there is enough justice in the world to right such wrongs.

My character in ‘Life Model’ is the titular life model who poses nude for a local artist – and is profoundly unafraid of reclaiming her power back in her own hands.

Lastly, in ‘Saint Louis’, I play a deeply passionate artist with an activist streak who is not loved enough for being larger than life, wonderfully intense, and blunt in the best way.

CM: What attracted you about working on this? What do you love about it?
AM: This project is the kind of thing you dream about as an actor. There are very few opportunities actors get, outside of drama school, to fully flex their creative muscles and rise to a challenge like this.

Learning four plays in three weeks, fully realising and fleshing out four completely separate human beings, and bringing 100% to each play is a tall order; this is the kind of work that summons phrases like “sink your teeth into”.

As soon as I understood what would be asked of the cast, I knew I had to be a part of this. I wanted ‘America The Beautiful’ to transform me, to hone my craft and whip me into shape as an actor, and it absolutely has been just that.

A couple of us have joked that we have the sheer luck of being paid to attend the best acting boot camp ever devised.

Also, it must be said that both Neil and James’ reputations precede them. Neil’s plays are renowned for being a treat to perform, and James is one of the most community-minded artistic directors in all of London – and you can see that reflected in the work he supports and the emerging talent he fosters.

Lastly, I’ve been so keen to work in the Off-West End and Fringe circuit in London for ages! I’ve been making my own work since drama school, but there’s something really special about breaking in and being cast by someone else. Everything about ‘America The Beautiful’ attracted me to the nth degree.

CM: Can you tell us a bit about the rest of the cast/creative team? 
AM: Every single person involved in this project is a dream to work with.

Everyone on the production side with the Greenwich Theatre is so kind, welcoming, and collaborative; and all the actors are certified sweetie-pies who make me look forward to rehearsal every day.

Know that when you look at the programme for ‘America The Beautiful,’ you’re looking at a list of the loveliest theatre folk in London.

CM: And now can you tell us a bit more about yourself – how did you come to be working in the arts? Was it what you always wanted to do and how did you begin your career? 
AM: Only a wild journey could make me cross a sea, and a wild journey it’s been indeed. I grew up in Houston, Texas, USA to a Puerto Rican father and a Greek mother, and I began acting at age fourteen in my high school’s top-notch theatre programme.

I got ‘the bug’ immediately, but seeing as my wonderful parents had sacrificed virtually everything to secure a stable future for me, it didn’t look like acting was going to be a ‘practical’ plan. I performed for all four years of high school, went off to undergrad to study journalism, and thought that was that.

However, it soon became clear I would never be able to leave my true passion behind, so I started layering acting, singing and dancing training on top of my full-time work and full-time studies.

I ended up working as a journalist, community organiser and performer for years, balancing multiple lives and multiple cities in Texas.

Ultimately, as things began to feel truly politically untenable in America by 2021, I made the leap to audition for the only drama school I’d ever truly dreamed of attending: The Royal Academy Of Dramatic Art.

I flew to London, auditioned, got in, and never looked back. I’ve since retired from organising and am a full-time artist now.

I’m unimaginably lucky to have had such a rich tapestry of experiences at such a young age – to be able to live my dream life now, pursuing acting.

To have had the privilege of emerging from life-and-death work in America relatively unscathed; and to have been able to build a new life in a country with no guns, free healthcare and a more supported arts sector.

Younger me would have stars in her eyes at the notion of the life I live now and I think of her often.

CM: What have been the highlights of your working life thus far?
AM: I honestly count every job – every credit – as a highlight, because many actors are unable to find work – sometimes for years at a time.

But if I had to choose – and I know ‘America The Beautiful’ is already a highlight – I’d say my own work, along with my first West End project, were a couple key high points.

I started production company Running With Scissors with my best friend in London, Catherine Abigail Ward, who is an incredible actor, puppeteer, and theatremaker that was part of my cohort at RADA.

Through it, we’ve created, produced, and performed in three iterations of our original experimental two-hander ‘MASO(S)CHISM’, which has brought us to incredible venues like The Coronet and The Cockpit.

It’s incredibly rewarding and thrilling to be able to make your own work and have folks both put it on and come see it. There’s no such thing as an off-season if you’re a maker as well as an actor!

Also, last year I got my first ever West End credit – talk about younger me having stars in her eyes! I was cast as the understudy to Miranda in Jamie Lloyd’s ‘The Tempest’, starring Sigourney Weaver, which was just a crazy cool experience.

Jamie and his whole team are so welcoming and brilliant, and getting to be a part of a project like that really affirmed my decision to be in London – right when I needed it most. I’m still so grateful to the Jamie Lloyd Company for giving me a seat at the table.

Ultimately, the biggest highlight for me, as an actor in London, is how kindly actors are treated. In our post-pandemic, post-strikes industry, I find the UK has a wonderfully relaxed, human-first approach that gives emerging actors real opportunities and pipelines to success.

I am immensely grateful to have been welcomed on this side of the pond.

CM: What aims and ambitions do you have for the future? 
AM: I have multiple stage and screen scripts in development that I’m super excited to bring to fruition, and I’m also keen to continue working the London theatre circuit. I can do London standard and RP accents, for any industry folks reading – insert winky face here, too!

My production company, Running With Scissors, is cooking up a couple projects as well. I’ve also been heavily focusing on screen work, continuing to train via workshops and classes, as I know I’m ready now to transition from stage to screen.

I’ve already worked onscreen a bit in the short film sector, but 2026 is the year I really hone in on film and TV. I’m bursting with energy and am thrilled to have started off this year with such a bang already!

CM: What’s coming up next for you after this production? 
AM: After ‘America The Beautiful,’ I will delightedly start belly dancing and doing aerial silks again – I had to take a pause for this project – while I launch into pre-production for my short film ‘SELLOUT’.

I’ll be airing an exciting new episode of my talk show, ‘Makers Of Middle-earth’, making a new stage show, and eagerly anticipating my next grand adventure.

For those interested, you can stay up to date with my life and work via my Instagram, @onlyannamaria!

‘America The Beautiful Chapter 1 and Chapter 2′ are on at the King’s Head Theatre until 21 Mar, and ‘Chapter 3’ is on at Greenwich Theatref rom 31 Mar-4 Apr. 

LINKS: kingsheadtheatre.com | greenwichtheatre.org.uk | x.com/onlyannamaria