The Granada headquarters of the Andalusian Scenic Training Center, managed by the Andalusian Agency for Cultural Institutions of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, will premiere this week the plays ‘Queso de cerdo’ by Sylvia Sossa; ‘Recordis’ by Denise Torres, and ‘El pájaro azul’ by Marta de Luna at the Rey Chico theater on June 25, 26, and 27 at 8:00 p.m.
For each show, 70 invitations have been made available to the public, which are currently sold out, as detailed by the Junta in a press release on Tuesday.
These productions are the final projects of the Directing Classroom that has been ongoing at the center since last October. Under the direction of actress and director Noelia Rosa, the students have been able to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to lead and efficiently manage theatrical productions.
Participants have been able to «explore the fundamentals of stage direction through knowledge of the creative process, production planning and organization, team management, and artistic decision-making.»
Everything learned in the course will be showcased on stage in three ‘work in progress’ samples, as the research process has not yet been completed. In this way, the first of the proposals, ‘Queso de cerdo’ by Sylvia Sossa, is, in the words of the Costa Rican artist, «a mixture, taking something that seems no longer useful and giving it a twist and a new life; all to realize that it is exquisite.»
This play discusses «growing older as a woman, change and transformation, and removing the stigma of negativity associated with menopause, growing old, and reaching a certain age.»
The next day, Denise Torres will stage ‘Recordis,’ which seeks an updated view of traditionalism and poses the question: «what is left when there is nothing left?». The play is an original text based on Andrea Abreu’s novel ‘Panza de burro.’
Lastly, ‘El pájaro azul’ by Marta de Luna is a free version of the play of the same title by Maurice Maeterlinck that, through magical realism, speaks of personal motivation, placing a couple’s relationship at the center of the story. Aimed at an adult audience, the play offers a dreamlike journey in which 11 performers on stage will navigate a drama from humor and absurdity, according to the author.
The selection of the plays to be performed this week was a decision made by the students, who evaluated the projects worked on during the course in March. Additionally, the objective evaluation criteria of the project and the basic criterion of pedagogical interest for the development of theatrical practices were taken into account.
These samples are complemented by the two plays premiered at the Alhambra Theater on May 30 and June 13, ‘Cuerpos a punto de explotar’ and ‘El hombre que soñó con árboles,’ the final works of the Directing Scenic Classroom assisted by the students of the lighting and sound course. Nearly 600 people attended both performances of the two projects selected by the students in this classroom.
The first play to premiere on May 30 at the Alhambra Theater was ‘Cuerpos a punto de explotar’ with the dramaturgy of the Magantas Cía company, composed of Alicia G. Quirantes and Rocío Tallón, authors and directors of the proposal.
The authors described their proposal as «a search to challenge the historical construction that has been made about women, about their bodies, used as sexual objects or destined for reproduction, never their own. We believe that its interest lies in the perspective we place on female desire and in posing a question: Who would we be if we hadn’t been told how we should be?».
On June 13, it was Anna Sovâk’s turn with her play ‘El hombre que soñó con árboles,’ an original dramaturgy based on Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novel ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold.’ The adaptation focuses on the idea of inevitable destiny, of pathos, which acts as a fatality within closed communities and against which nothing can be done.