SUMMER 2009:

Maria played the role of Sylvia in the United Players production of The Soldier's Fortune directed by Hoarse Raven Theatre's Micheal Fera in June 2009. She was cited as "delightful" by the Courier's Jo Ledingham and a great interpreter of restoration text by reviewvancouver.org's Ed Farolan.

The week before leaving on her China adventure, Maria performed as 'mistress' of ceremonies in the original ensemble production Madonna in My Mind for the Pride in Arts Festival at the Roundhouse in Vancouver in mid-August. Directed by Terry Costa, the performance was touted as "The most diverse cast seen on a Vancouver stage. Congrats on a great production." and Maria was singled out with "The dominatrix actress was great with her one-liners throughout the show. Nice touch." - audience feedback.

A n alumnus of the University of British Columbia’s Theatre program, Maria returned to the stage in 2008 after a four-year hiatus from the industry. In addition to performing in her own one-woman work-in-progress, The Castro Project, celebrating Portuguese Heritage Month in June; she was seen in the sold-out fundraising performance of the Vagina Monologues at the 1100-seat Red Robinson Show Theatre in March; and in the well-received and glowingly reviewed Volpone playing Lady Politic Would-Be, directed by John Murphy for United Players at the Jericho Arts Centre.

Other favourite theatre credits include:

• Tina in Tony’n’Tina’s Wedding, 1996-98, Hoarse Raven Theatre
• B.S. Episodes 4 & 6, SitCompany at Second City, Toronto
• The Ends of the Earth, UBC Theatre, Frederic Wood
• Lion in the Streets, UBC ESS, Vancouver Little Theatre
• Lysistrata, United Players

“The greatest grasp of how to speak at such a volume is shown by Maria J. Cruz, who is hilarious as the screeching parrot-like Lady Politik.”
Vancouver Sun - Saturday, April 12, 2008
Peter Birnie - Sun Theatre Critic

For film and television you may have spotted Maria in See Spot Run starring David Arquette; on a bridge with JAG star David James Elliot in the MOW Dodson’s Journey; or on NBC as the smart-talking Brazilian nanny Ramona in the 1999 short-lived US version of the popular British series Cold Feet.

Winter 2008:

• Completed 14 months of training in Shea Hampton’s class, Acting From Source.
• In November 2008 Maria performed in Itsazoo's short play festival Four Course Meal at the Havana Theatre in a series of comical cameos in Baggage by Montreal playwright Sebastien Archibald. The play was described by the Westender's Andrea Warner as "at turns brilliant and vulgar...hilarious and heartbreaking."