04 Jun “Celestina” | Teatro El Público (Madrid)

FUNDarte (Miami, USA), in collaboration with Teatro El Público (Havana, Cuba) and in association with the Festival Iberoamericano del Siglo de Oro from the Comunidad de Madrid, presents the world premiere of Celestina, a new version by Norge Espinosa based on the original text by Fernando de Rojas, on July 1st and 2nd, at 7:00 p.m., at the Corral de Comedias in Alcalá de Henares and as a closure of the “Clásicos en Alcalá” Festival.

Intending to return to the classic to find in its essence a contemporary portrait of our urgencies and desires, FUNDarte and Teatro El Público reread La Celestina.

Rojas’s text is a mirror of a Spain where the interests and repressions of the time stalk the pure love of young people. Still, it endures as a celebration of jouissance and a provocation that its characters make recognizable in the present. A struggle between desire and the flesh, morality and money, reality and sorcery, the fable of the old matchmaker reminds us that these forces are still in conflict and that we continue to be part of that battle, even in the age of virtuality. And Celestina, skilled in her tricks as a witch and a businessman, still walks among us.

FUNDarte continues its mission of promoting international cultural exchanges, and this time, it has partnered with the Community of Madrid to produce a very particular theatrical piece based on a contemporary look at the classic from the Golden Age. Eroticism, sensuality, and the political subtext – hallmarks of maestro Carlos Díaz – emerge in communion with Afro-Cuban folklore and the Iberian tradition seen from the other shore. The project brings a cast of Cuban actors based in Madrid, the dramaturgy and stage direction by Teatro El Publico, and the creative and production team of FUNDarte.

Teatro El Público returns to Spain after 25 years. The prestigious Cuban company debuted at the Mérida Classic Theater Festival in the summer of 1997 with Camus’ Caligula. His success was such that, the following year, they toured all over Spain with the same piece and other titles, such as El Público, by F. G. Lorca.

About the piece:

Celestina. World Premiere

Name of the author: Fernando de Rojas

Name of the adapter: Norge Espinosa

Name of the Company: FUNDarte and Teatro El Público

Countries: USA, Cuba, Spain

Duration: 105 minutes

Genre: Tragicomedy

Artistic and technical team

Direction: Carlos Díaz (Teatro El Público)

Dramaturgy/Version: Norge Espinosa (Teatro El Público)

Set and costume design: Celia Ledón (FUNDarte)

Light Design: Ricardo Rodríguez (FUNDarte)

Graphic Image: Gabriel Lara (FUNDarte)

Production and Direction Assistant: Manuel De Durán (La Saraghina de Stalker)

Logistics and Production: Carlos Miguel Caballero (FUNDarte)

General Production: Ever Chávez (FUNDarte)

Cast:

Celestina: Leticia Martín

Sempronio and Pleberio: Rone Reinoso

Pármeno and Lucrecia: Georbis Martínez

Melibea: Grisell Monzón

Calisto: Carlos Busto

Areúsa: Betiza Bismark

Elicia and Pleberio: Fer Nieves

Tristán and Centurio: Luis Ernesto Bárcenas

What: Celestina (Theater)

When: Saturday, July 1st, and Sunday, July 2nd, at 7:00 p.m.

Where: Corral de Comedias (Pl. de Cervantes, 15, 28801 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain)

Cost: €16.00 – €12.00.

Tickets: https://www.flowte.me/storefront/alcala-de-henares?e=31057

+ Information: https://www.clasicosenalcala.net/2023/obras/1226-celestina.php

About the director:

The work of Carlos Díaz (Havana, 1957) is often described as unique and unexpected. The company he founded in 1992, Teatro El Público, has premiered more than 40 plays in the last 30 years and has become a Havana institution. Díaz’s work interprets the texts emphasizing the stories’ sensuality, expressiveness, and Cubanness. In 2015 he received the Cuban National Theater Award. He has directed three productions for FUNDarte in the last ten years, such as the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Ana en el Trópico” by Nilo Cruz.

About the script adapter:

Norge Espinosa is a Cuban playwright, poet, critic, and dramaturgical advisor for Teatro El Público. For this company, he has written original texts and adaptations of authors such as Racine, Chekhov, Fassbinder, Ibsen, and Shakespeare, among others. He is the author of the lyrics and dialogues of Carmen la Cubana, a musical directed by Christopher Renshaw, and other works that premiered in Cuba and other countries. Cintas de seda (Silk Ribbons), one of his recent pieces, has been applauded in Peru and the United States of America.