The Sanchez Huerta Girl Killed Herself (Sanchez Huerta. Se Mato la Nina)

Synopsis

A claustrophobic classroom in a Mexican Catholic girls’ school becomes a crucible of grief, guilt, and buried trauma.

The Mother of a recently deceased 12-year-old student returns to her daughter’s classroom, ostensibly to distribute memorial bookmarks. As she’s joined by her Sister, estranged Father, a Nun, and the school’s Headmistress, the room becomes a pressure cooker of long-suppressed emotions and dark family secrets. Through a series of raw, often darkly humorous confrontations, the unravelling of a family torn apart by cycles of abuse, neglect, and unspoken pain is laid bare for all to see.

Claudia Ríos crafts a searing exploration of intergenerational trauma, familial dysfunction, and the devastating ripple effects of childhood abuse. The play explores the complex web of guilt, shame, and unresolved grief that binds this broken family through fragmented memories, surreal outbursts, and moments of pitch-black comedy. As layers of denial are stripped away, Ríos asks difficult questions about complicity, forgiveness, and the possibility of healing in the face of overwhelming loss.