I was in Los Angeles when a group of actor friends invited me to a production being staged at a small theater. I was completely captivated by the performance, surprised by the acting of several of the players, and especially by a girl I was introduced to afterward, who left a deep impression on me. Her name is MARÍA, and she was playing the role of Masha in The Seagull by the great writer and playwright Anton Chekhov, whom people today call the Father of Contemporary Art. The confidence with which she inhabited her role, as though she were a reincarnation of that iconic character, left me utterly astonished. The makeup was superb, all the more so once I learned she does it herself. This production served as the graduation showcase for these students finishing their training at the Stella Adler Academy, right there in Los Angeles. Something else that surprised me, beyond her talent, was hearing her English offstage: it's perfect, with a native and polished pronunciation. I assumed she was American or British, but she turned out to be Mexican, like me, someone who knows ordinary people and has lived in neighboring places. So I felt proud to be Mexican, to see more Mexican success in acting taking shape right before me. Listening to her talk with that passion so characteristic of the Latin temperament, combined with her talent, her bilingual education, and her love for the craft, was a genuinely fascinating experience. María joined us for drinks afterward and told me that her first acting studies were in Mexico, at La Casa Azul, and that's when I thought to myself: what a beautiful thing it is when human beings mix racially and culturally. That openness was the greatness of the United States, a greatness that is now in a certain decline and in danger of being lost to the paranoia that has taken hold around security and control. In any case, the point of all this is María, and I want to keep writing about her so that more people become aware of the caliber of actors, directors, cinematographers, and all the others involved in the arts who come from Mexico and who, sadly, go abroad because the opportunities are simply greater outside for those with real talent. So I asked her whether she would come back to Mexico when this period of acting and preparation was over. She said she is open to hearing offers and weighing them against her growth as an actress, that even while working she wants to keep studying and improving every day, that her great love right now is theater, and that she would be delighted to take on another lover: the screen. I'm including a photo here so you can appreciate what I'm describing, and share a glimpse of her natural beauty. I don't know if I'll be able to attend her next show, but I would love to. If you're traveling to Los Angeles or already live there, I'm inviting you to go. Starting March 14, when this new production opens, head to the theater to see her play Elizabeth, a young girl from Utah who goes to New York with her boyfriend Rick, chasing her dream of becoming an actress, only to have her innocence slowly destroyed by Paul's manipulations. The play is Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare, directed by the recent Oscar winner Milton Justice. Finally, María told me that even now she still feels like the same little girl who dreamed of being an actress, with the same drive, the same faith that she will reach whatever she sets her mind to. Now grown into a strong woman who is responsible and self-sufficient, independent, constantly working to find her place, and not afraid of failure or of life. In case anyone here recognizes her, her full name is: María Fernanda Bosque Andrade.