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The MEI Festival stages ˋDe ratones y hombres' (About mice and men) and ˋTesla/Edisonˊ at the local theatre of Tegueste. A performance for schoolchildren is also programmed

Next September, the municipality of Tegueste will host two shows of the theatre festival ‘Muestra Escénica Iberoamericana’ (Ibero-American Theatre Festival).  The Festival is an initiative organised by the Tenerife Island Council through the Auditorio de Tenerife, a cultural space linked to the Department of Culture that is managed by the island Minister of Culture, Enrique Arriaga. One of the shows, ‘De ratones y hombres’ (About mice and men) will be premièred in Europe during this Festival. The other play, ‘Tesla/Edison’, has programmed one performance for local schoolchildren and another for the general public. The City Council of Tegueste has already put tickets on sale for both shows.

On 14 September, the Colombian company ‘Señor M’ stages ‘De ratones y hombres’ (About mice and men). This company is also known for the stage space where they perform in their country: '4 Paredes'. Based on a story by John Steinbeck, the play begins with two brothers, Colombian peasants, who travel through different regions looking for a better future. One is intelligent and the other is not. One depends on the other until one of the two becomes a dangerous burden. As part of the MEI Festival tour, this play will be premièred in Europe during this Festival and will also be staged in El Sauzal, Puerto de la Cruz and Adeje.

For its part, ‘Tesla/Edison’ is the last proposal of 'Ángulo Producciones', a theatre company from the Canary Islands. This play can be seen in Tegueste on 19 September. It was written by the brothers QY Bazo and adopted by the company after it won the ‘Jesús Domínguez’ prize. This work has a great documentary and cultural value. It is focused on the lives of both geniuses who, despite living science and technology in a very different way, achieved historic advances that we enjoy today. In addition, the local schoolchildren will attend the performance on 20 September during a morning session.

Both plays will be staged at the Teatro Príncipe Felipe at 7:30 p.m. for the general public and at 11:00 a.m. for schoolchildren. Tickets are available to the public until full capacity is reached. Those interested in attending the show shall reserve their seats by dialling the number 922 316 136. The City Council of Tegueste has established the conditions to get these invitations and the health protocol established for the Teatro Príncipe Felipe. To check the calendar and information, download it at www.meitenerife.com.

The 3^rd edition of the MEI Festival runs from 2 September to 6 October in 12 municipalities. It brings 40 performances of 14 shows by 12 different companies. Of the twelve companies participating in this edition, three are from Chile (Niño Proletario, Silencio Blanco and Colectivo Cuerpo Sur), two from Uruguay (El Galpón and Marea Productora) and one each from Colombia (4 Paredes), Argentina (Diego Casado), Nicaragua (Teatro Justo Rufino Garay), and Portugal (Hotel Europa Teatro); three are from the Canary Islands (Delirium, Ángulo Producciones and Unahoramenos). 

The festival venues will be the Paraninfo de la Universidad de La Laguna those of the municipalities of Adeje, Arona, Candelaria, El Rosario, Guía de Isora, Los Realejos, Puerto de la Cruz, Tacoronte, Vilaflor and El Sauzal.

The ‘Muestra Escénica Iberoamericana’ (Iberoamerican Theatre Festival, MEI) stages the premiere of the Argentinean play "La cápsula" (The capsule) and a play by the Uruguayan theatre company "El Galpón"

The Paraninfo de la Universidad de La Laguna puts tickets on sale for the MEI Festival shows. The Festival is an initiative organised by the Tenerife Island Council through the Auditorio de Tenerife, a cultural space linked to the Department of Culture that is managed by the island Minister of Culture, Enrique Arriaga. The calendar includes two international plays, one of them a world premiere. Tickets for these plays can already be purchased at www.meitenerife.com.

On 8 September at 8:00 p.m., the Uruguayan company ‘El Galpón’ offers the first performance that will be staged at the Paraninfo: 'Bakunin sauna, una obra anarquista' (Bakunin sauna, an anarchist play). Margarita, an old anarchist who is specialised in cognitive computing, plans to kidnap Ema, IBM's new general manager for Latin America, from a hotel sauna in Las Vegas. 

Two IBM ex-officers, Rosa and Bernardo, help her together with a computer humanoid that looks like the Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakunin and that is specially programmed for the purpose. However, the action gets out of control. The Spanish premiere of this Uruguayan comedy on the MEI tour will also be performed in El Sauzal and Guía de Isora.

The world première of the Argentinian play 'La cápsula, un viaje unipersonal' (The capsule, a one-man journey) will be staged on 18 and 19 September at 8:00 p.m. This proposal is led by its author and director, Diego Casado Rubio. It is the story of the man who returned to the moon. He is a giant storyteller of impossible and magical feats who has only one wish: to return to where he came from. This journey offers only advantages. All you have to do is choose a day and time for a one-way trip, with no suitcases, no farewells, no departure notices. This is not just another story; it contains an endless list of things to avoid in life. The play 'The capsule, a one-man journey' can only be enjoyed at the Paraninfo de la ULL.

The tickets for these shows can be purchased at a single price of €10. The purchase conditions and the safety and hygiene measures are established by the Paraninfo de la ULL.  To check the calendar and information, download it at www.meitenerife.com.

The 3^rd edition of the MEI Festival runs from 2 September to 6 October in 12 municipalities. It brings 40 performances of 14 shows by 12 different companies. Of the twelve companies participating in this edition, three are from Chile (Niño Proletario, Silencio Blanco and Colectivo Cuerpo Sur), two from Uruguay (El Galpón and Marea Productora) and one each from Colombia (4 Paredes), Argentina (Diego Casado), Nicaragua (Teatro Justo Rufino Garay), and Portugal (Hotel Europa Teatro); three are from the Canary Islands (Delirium, Ángulo Producciones and Unahoramenos). 

The festival venues will be the Paraninfo de la Universidad de La Laguna and those of the municipalities of Adeje, Arona, Candelaria, El Rosario, Guía de Isora, Los Realejos, Puerto de la Cruz, Tacoronte, Tegueste, Vilaflor and El Sauzal.

Enrique Arriaga highlights the “quantity and variety of the offer, aimed both at the island's centres and at the social groups”

3,567 people enjoyed the activities offered by the Auditorium’s Learning and Social Programme. The Auditorio de Tenerife is a cultural space that is linked to the Department of Culture of Tenerife Island Council. It is managed by the islands’ Minister of Culture Enrique Arriaga. During the 2020-2021 season, 18 performances of 14 shows were organised in this venue, involving 44 schools and social groups. In addition, activities were programmed by 'Teatro en la Escuela' (Theatre at School), 'Danza en Comunidad' (Dance in the Community), 'Coro Juvenil’ (Youth Choir) and the annual meeting of ROCE network (Organisers of Educational and Social Concerts).

Arriaga highlights the quantity and variety of the offer, which is aimed both at the different school levels and at social groups of the island". He explained that "the Auditorium's Learning and Social Programme quickly developed a specific plan to prevent COVID-19 infections; it was crucial to welcome minors, teachers and other users for them to have a completely safe experience; these measures are added to the protocol certified by AENOR. Despite the pandemic, we considered it a priority to keep the learning and social offer", concludes Arriaga.

The activities started on 15 September 2020 and ended on 23 June. The programme included didactic concerts offered during the season by the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra and which have taken place in the Auditorium: 'Suena el circo' (The sounds of the circus), 'Cuando el río suena…música lleva' (A musical river runs through it) and 'Beethoven y otros héroes' (Beethoven and other heroes).

During this season, Opera de Tenerife also performed a title adapted to the family audience: Handel's 'Rinaldo'. Likewise, it continued with its children’s learning programme 'Manos a la Opera' (Let’s get the Opera on the road!) On this occasion, the 'Miniflauta mágica' (The little Magic Flute) based on Mozart's 'The Magic Flute', made by and for the little ones, was taken to the stage.

On the other hand, the Tenerife Philharmonic Orchestra held the show 'El cuento musical de Pedro y el lobo' (The Musical Tale of Peter and the Wolf). The Orchestra Jazz del Atlántico staged the concert ‘Próxima estación: The Duke’ (Next Station: The Duke), while The Baroque Orchestra of Tenerife performed 'Al Capone', 'Circa 1721' and an adapted session of Quantum Ensemble. In addition, four performances of the FAM festival (Arts and Movement Festival) were adapted to this public.

As for the programme ‘Teatro en la Escuela’ (Theatre at School) and to guarantee its execution, a new online format was adopted during this 5^th edition. It was comprised of educational activities for students and work activities for the companies. During the third academic term, 1,559 pupils from around twenty island's schools enjoyed a display of theatre plays, dance and movement arts aimed at pre-school, primary, secondary, high school and vocational training. 

The Auditorio's Youth Choir is comprised of twenty young choristers who are conducted by Roxana Schmunk. Apart from their usual activity with rehearsals and specialised workshops, they implemented a specific plan for choirs to prevent COVID-19 infections. It was developed by the Auditorio de Tenerife. During the season, 372 people enjoyed the four concerts they offered in several venues.

‘Danza en Comunidad’ also carried out its activity. It concludes this month and has developed three programmes in different parts of the island: 'Creación y Salud' (Creation and Health), 'Natura' (Nature) and 'Misiva' (Missive). They brought professional dance tools to different social realities and worked with a hundred people who read the open call. Likewise, members of social collectives such as the association ‘Padre Laraña’, Tenerife's prison and the young offender institution 'Valle Tabares', managed by the foundation ‘Fundación Canaria Ideo’, took part in the activities.

In addition, on 17 December the Learning and Social Programme organised a hybrid annual meeting of the ROCE network (Organisers of Educational and Social Concerts) under the motto "Music in the community: participation, inclusion and well-being".  162 music professionals, cultural managers, researchers, musicologists, heads of social groups, educators, social workers, cultural mediators, psychologists, pedagogues and psycho-pedagogues from 14 countries took part in this international event. Through this event, several resources were generated. They can be checked at the ROCE website.

The Teatro El Sauzal hosts twelve performances of nine shows, including several European premières

The tickets are already on sale for those MEI shows that will be staged in the municipal theatre of El Sauzal. The MEI Festival is organised by the Tenerife Island Council through the Auditorio de Tenerife, a cultural space linked to the Department of Culture that is managed by the island Minister of Culture, Enrique Arriaga. It offers nine shows and twelve performances, including four premieres in Europe and two in Spain. The plays will be staged in El Sauzal’s municipal venue between September and October. Tickets can already be purchased at www.meitenerife.com.

The first performance opens the 3^rd Festival edition on 2 September with the Uruguayan company ‘El Galpón’ and their performance 'Bakunin sauna, una obra anarquista' (Bakunin sauna, an anarchist play). Margarita, an old anarchist who is specialised in cognitive computing, plans to kidnap Ema, IBM's new general manager for Latin America, from a hotel sauna in Las Vegas. This work will be staged for the first time in Spain.

On 8 September, the Nicaraguan company ‘Rufino Garay’ will stage the monologue "Francisca" in El Sauzal and for the first time in Europe. The play revolves around Francisca, a Mexican-Nicaraguan woman who on All Souls' Day prepares the table for her ancestors. As she does so, her memories from both cultures appear; sometimes she is Mexican and sometimes Nicaraguan.

On 11 September, the Colombian company '4 Paredes' will stage their production 'De ratones y hombres' (About mice and men) for the first time in Europe. Based on a story by John Steinbeck, the play begins with two brothers, Colombian peasants, who travel through different regions looking for a better future. 

On 15 September, the Chilean company 'Silencio Blanco' will perform for the first time in Europe 'Pescador' (Fisherman), a puppet-play for adults. Puppets, elements and manipulators share a space where the actor's physical work and the manipulation of puppets take a new perspective to investigate and develop the poetics of the company.

André Amalio and the Czech Teresa Havlíckova, members of the Portuguese company 'Hotel Europa Teatro' stage their show "Perfect Match" for the first time in Spain. This documentary theatre proposes the importance of love and relationships in migratory movements. It will be staged in the Teatro El Sauzal on 17 and 18 September. 

The company from the Canary Islands ‘Unahoramenos’ participates in the MEI Festival on 22 September with two performances of their play ‘Moria’. This immersive theatre proposal tells the story of two refugee women and their families, who have no choice but to flee their respective countries. In addition, they will stage ‘Clara y el abismo' (Clara and the abyss) on 24 September. This production of the 'Laboratorio Galdós Internacional' by the Uruguayan playwright Gabriel Calderón, has original music by Coque Malla. 

On 25 September, the Chilean company 'Niño Proletario' brings to El Sauzal and for the first time to Europe the play 'Nadie lee fuego mientras todo se está quemando' (Nobody reads fire while everything is burning). A mother and her son are homeless and live on the streets of a society they do not wish to belong to. They decide to confront the situation by performing a poetic act as the last gesture to shed light on a country that lives in darkness.

The Uruguayans of 'Marea Productora Teatral' present for the first time both in Spain and in Europe the Spanish version of ‘Ana contra la muerte' (Ana against death). Written by Gabriel Calderón, the renowned Uruguayan playwright, this play was already premièred in Italian. It can be seen in El Sauzal on 2 and 3 October. It is the story of a woman who understood that she had to resist death as long as she could, and even longer.

All these performances take place at the Teatro El Sauzal and most of them start at 8:00 p.m. (except for ‘Moria’, which has one performance at 6:00 p.m. and another at 8:00 p.m.). The general price is €10. There is a special price of €8 for students, people under 25, over 65, and for residents of El Sauzal. To check the general terms, the safety and hygiene measures of Teatro El Sauzal, visit www.teatroelsauzal.com.

Except for 'Perfect Match', 'Clara y el abismo' (Clara and the abyss), and as part of the MEI tour, the remaining performances will be staged in other island’s venues. Each show will be performed on several occasions during September and early October. To check the calendar and information, download it at www.meitenerife.com.

The 3^rd edition of the MEI Festival runs from 2 September to 6 October in 12 municipalities. It brings 40 performances of 14 shows by 12 different companies. Of the twelve companies participating in this edition, three are from Chile (Niño Proletario, Silencio Blanco and Colectivo Cuerpo Sur), two from Uruguay (El Galpón and Marea Productora) and one each from Colombia (4 Paredes), Argentina (Diego Casado), Nicaragua (Teatro Justo Rufino Garay), and Portugal (Hotel Europa Teatro); three are from the Canary Islands (Delirium, Ángulo Producciones and Unahoramenos). 

The festival venues will be the Paraninfo de la Universidad de La Laguna and the theatres of Adeje, Arona, Candelaria, El Rosario, Guía de Isora, Los Realejos, Puerto de la Cruz, Tacoronte, Tegueste, Vilaflor and El Sauzal.

Enrique Arriaga highlights "the new dimension of this third MEI edition" that kicks off on 2 September in El Sauzal

The third edition of the MEI (Iberoamerican Theatre Festival), which runs from 2 September to 6 October, has been organised by the Island Council through the Auditorio de Tenerife. Enrique Arriaga, councillor of culture, stressed that "this festival stands out for exhibiting 40 performances of 14 shows in a dozen municipalities".

According to Arriaga, "this festival clearly shows our commitment to the municipalities that we announced as part of the Cultural Strategic Plan. It distributes this high-quality stage programme throughout the island with Iberoamerican proposals that share the bill with our companies".

Alejandro Krawietz, director of culture, agrees with Arriaga on how important it is for the municipalities to receive contemporary theatre performances. Considering the current set spaces of the island, they are not easy to programme. He added that "through the performing arts, MEI is like a door that brings other cultures closer to society". 

Of the eleven companies participating in this edition, three are from Chile (Niño Proletario, Silencio Blanco and Colectivo Cuerpo Sur), two from Uruguay (El Galpón and Marea Productora) and one each from Colombia (4 Paredes), Argentina (Diego Casado), Nicaragua (Teatro Justo Rufino Garay), Portugal (Hotel Europa Teatro); three are from the Canary Islands (Delirium, Ángulo Producciones and Unahoramenos). 

The festival venues will be the Paraninfo de la Universidad de La Laguna and those of the municipalities of Adeje, Arona, Candelaria, El Rosario, Guía de Isora, Los Realejos, Puerto de la Cruz, Tacoronte, Tegueste, Vilaflor and El Sauzal. In the two previous editions El Sauzal hosted all shows; on this occasion it will be the setting for a dozen performances.

The programme begins on 2 September at the Teatro El Sauzal. The Uruguayan company El Galpón will offer the play "Bakunin sauna, una obra anarquista" (Bakunin sauna, an anarchist play), a show that will also be performed in Guía de Isora (5th) and in the Paraninfo (8th). The Nicaraguan company Rufino Garay will take its play "Francisca" to El Sauzal (8th), Adeje (9th), Puerto de la Cruz (11th) and Guía de Isora (12th). The Colombian company "4 paredes" will give 4 performances of their production "De ratones y hombres" (About mice and men) in El Sauzal (11th), Puerto de la Cruz (12th), Tegueste (14th) and Adeje (15th). The same company will perform "Carta de una desconocida" (Letter from a stranger) in El Rosario (16th), Garachico (18th), Adeje (19th) and Los Realejos (21st).

Argentine theatre will be represented at this year's MEI by Diego Casado's company, which will perform "La Cápsula" (The capsule) at the Paraninfo on 18 and 19 September. The Chilean company 'Niño Proletario' comes to Tenerife with their play "Nadie lee fuego mientras todo se está quemando" (Nobody reads fire while everything is burning), which will be performed in Vilaflor (23rd), El Rosario (24th) and El Sauzal (25th); the Chileans of 'Colectivo Cuerpo Sur' offer their play "Mutilados en democracia" (Mutilated in democracy) with two performances on the 1 October in Puerto de la Cruz. The Chilean company 'Silencio Blanco' will perform the play "Pescador" (Fisherman) in El Sauzal (15th) and in Puerto de la Cruz (17th and 19th).

The Portuguese company 'Hotel Europa Teatro' - made up of the Portuguese André Amalio and the Czech Teresa Havlíckova - will propose their show "Perfect Match" on 17 and 18 September at the Teatro El Sauzal. The Uruguayans 'Marea Productora Teatral' will close this edition with the play "Ana contra la muerte" (Ana against death). It can be seen in Arona (29th), El Sauzal (2nd and 3rd October) and Candelaria (6th). 

The representation from the Canary Islands during this MEI festival will start with the company Delirium. It will perform the piece "La buena vecindad" (Good neighbourliness) in Tacoronte on 3 and 4 September. ‘Ángulo Producciones' will perform "Tesla/Edison" in Tegueste (19) and the company 'Unahoramenos' brings two proposals: "Moria" and "Clara y el abismo" (Clara and the abyss). The piece "Tesla/Edison" has two daily performances in El Sauzal (22nd), Arona (26th) and Vilaflor (28th), while "Clara y el abismo" can be seen on the 24th in El Sauzal.

The first two productions, ˋThe House of Bernarda Albaˊ and ˋAttilaˊ, go on sale on 26 July

Enrique Arriaga, councillor of culture, and Alejandro Krawietz, director of culture of Tenerife's Island Council, have presented the season 21-22 of Opera de Tenerife. The programmed productions are The House of Bernarda Alba, Attila, Francesca da Rimini, The old maid and the thief, Florencia in the Amazon and The Tales of Hoffmann. These six lyric events take place in the Auditorio de Tenerife between October 2021 and April 2022. During this season, 'The old maid and the thief' and 'Florencia in the Amazon' will be staged in Spain for the first time.

Enrique Arriaga explained that "this new proposal offers classic librettos that will go hand in hand with contemporary works, some of which will be seen for the first time in our country". He also advanced that "tickets for the first two operas go on sale on 26 July". 

As he stressed, "we advance the entire season programme so that more spectators can join in; however, the sale will be gradual to adapt the shows to the permitted capacity". Arriaga declared that the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra plays during all productions, except for 'The old maid and the thief', where Javier Lanis, pianist and conductor, provides his music.

Alejandro Krawietz stated that "this season gathers the history of Opera de Tenerife since its beginnings in a consistent manner. It also opens up new territories to investigate contemporary and Spanish titles." The director of culture highlighted that the season begins with ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’, "an operatic version that adapts Lorca’s classical universe; whereas ‘Attila’, by Verdi, was composed during his first creative phase, clearly nationalistic." He also emphasised the opera 'Florencia in the Amazon', by Daniel Catán. With this piece, Opera Tenerife includes lyrical work from Latin America". "This programme explores modernity without renouncing classic titles", stated Krawietz.

The season starts with ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’, by Miguel Ortega. This contemporary Spanish opera with a libretto by Julio Ramos will be featured on the 19, 21 and 23 October in the Symphony Hall. It was premièred in Romania in 2007 and presented in Spain during the Peralada and Santander Festivals. The symphony orchestra format -the same that will be shown in Tenerife - was then chosen. The composer also adapted the format to chamber orchestras, a format which was chosen by the Teatro de la Zarzuela in 2018.

The production, by Auditorio de Tenerife, will be conducted by Ortega; the opera stage director will be Silvia Paoli, who recently signed for Lucrezia Borgia. Agnese Rabatti is the costume designer and Marie Lambert the lighting designer. 

The mezzo-soprano Nancy Fabiola Herrera, who recently performed during the Canary Islands Music Festival with Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, will play the matriarch Bernarda Alba, as she already did in the chamber version at the Teatro de la Zarzuela. Regarding the daughters, Adela will be played by the soprano Carmen Acosta, Martirio by Beatriz Lanza, Amelia by the mezzo-soprano Marina Rodríguez-Cusí, Magdalena by the mezzo-soprano Belén Elvira and Angustias by the soprano Melody Louledjian. The baritone Luis Cansino plays once more the role of Poncia, the housekeeper. The soprano Carmen Mateo will be one of the servants, and the actress Marga Arnau will be María Josefa.

‘Attila’, by Giuseppe Verdi, is the second opera programmed for this season. This classical piece will be featured on 23, 25, and 27 November with music by the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra. This ninth opera of Verdi with a libretto by Temistocle Solera has three acts preceded by a prologue. Premièred during the mid-19th-century, this proposal presents the history of Attila, king of the Huns, and his relationship with Odabella. The staging moves away from the traditional features of this title but retains the spirit of Verdi's work.

Co-produced by Auditorio de Tenerife and Teatro Reggio di Parma, Christopher Franklin is the musical director and Andrea de Rosa is the stage and set director. Alessandro Lai is the costume designer and Pasquale Mari the lighting designer.

Regarding the roles, the Croatian bass-baritone Marko Mimica will play Attila, the warrior, whereas the Uruguayan soprano María José will play the young Odabella. Ezio will be played by the baritone Alfredo Daza, Foresto by the tenor Antonio Poli, Leone by the bass Rocco Cavaluzzi and Uldino by the tenor Javier Palacios.

Francesca da Rimini, a concert version by Saverio Mercadante, is the non-staged proposal for this season, which will take place on 11 December in the Symphonic Hall. Based on the story of the Italian noblewoman who inspired Dante's Divine Comedy, this is a two-act opera with a libretto by Felice Romani. Although it was composed in 1830, its world premiere had to wait almost two centuries.  

Opera de Tenerife will be conducted by Alessandro Palumbo, with soprano Beatriz de Sousa as Francesca, mezzo-soprano Nozomi Kato as Paolo, tenor David Astorga as Lanciotto and bass Francesco Leone as Guido.

The chamber opera 'The Old Maid and the Thief' will be the first that will take place in 2022: on 22, 23, 29, and 30 January 2022. The title was commissioned by the American NBC radio station to the musician Gian Carlo Menotti, who also wrote the libretto. It was premièred on the radio in 1939 to great acclaim. It was later adapted by Menotti for the stage, a version that was first performed in Philadelphia in 1941. The musical direction will be in charge of Javier Lanis. The aim is that all 4 roles are performed by singers from the Canary Islands; so far, the presence of the soprano Candelaria González and the baritone Fernando García-Campero has been confirmed.

On 22, 24, and 26 March, 'Florencia in the Amazon' will be performed. Through this proposal, Opera de Tenerife introduces Latin American compositions. This title is programmed for the first time in Spain after an extensive tour around opera houses in America and two appearances in Europe (Germany and Switzerland). Created by the Mexican composer Daniel Catán, with a libretto by Marcela Fuentes-Berain, it was premièred in 1996. The story is about different ways of experiencing love through a boat trip on the Amazon.

The musical direction will be by Pedro Halffter and the stage direction by Chía Patiño. It will be produced by Auditorio de Tenerife with set design by Izmir Ickbal, costumes by Felipe de Lima, and lighting design by Jax Messenger.

The leading role, that of Florencia Grimaldi, will be played by Sandra López, a Cuban-Ecuadorian soprano. The Brazilian soprano Lina Mendes will be Rosalba, the Canary Islands-born tenor Airam Hernández will play Arcadio, the Argentinian mezzo-soprano Guadalupe Barrientos will play Paula and the bass Alejandro López will be the captain.

'The Tales of Hoffmann', produced by Auditorio de Tenerife and premièred in 2017, is the operatic family proposal during this season. It will return to the Symphonic Hall on 23, and 24 April. Rubén Díez will be the musical director and Raúl Vázquez the stage and set designer. Leo Martínez will be the costume designer and Miguel Ponce the lighting designer.

It is a three-act opera, with music by Jacques Offenbach and a libretto by Jules Barbier. It is based on a play that Barbier and Michael Carré wrote about the stories of Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann. This title was first performed at the Opera-Comique in Paris in 1881.

As a result of the health crisis and the changing security measures that depend on the alert levels, tickets will be sold gradually. In this way, the first two, namely, 'The House of Bernarda Alba' and 'Attila', will be the first to be released in a pack that will have a discount for the 19-20 season subscribers. Ticket prices for these two titles range from 20 to 70 Euros for the general public, and sales will begin on 26 July. The Island Council maintains the price of 5 Euros for young people under 30 years of age, and also offers special discounts for the unemployed, large families, and season ticket holders of the 19-20 season.  

Tickets can be purchased until one hour before the show on the website www.auditoriodetenerife.com and by dialling the phone number 902 317 327 from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. During the purchase process, the user will have to choose between one or two pre-set seats distributed throughout the hall. In August only web sales will be available.

By purchasing tickets, you accept the measures implemented by the cultural centre to combat Coronavirus, such as the correct use of masks and attendance at the event only with people you live with. All of the measures, as well as the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) programme certified by AENOR, can be consulted on the Auditorium’s website.

This season is an initiative of the Island Council. It is managed by the Auditorio de Tenerife with the participation of Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, supported by INAEM , Ministry of Culture, by the Canary Islands Institute for Cultural Development, Canary Islands Government.

Season calendar:

Title: The House of Bernarda Alba

Dates: 19, 21, and 23 October

Title: Attila

Dates: 23, 25, and 27 November

Title: Francesca di Rimini

Dates: 11 December

Title: The old maid and the thief

Dates: 22, 23, 29, and 30 January

Title: Florencia in the Amazon

Dates: 22, 24, and 26 March

Title: The tales of Hoffmann

Dates: 23, and 24 April

Auditorio de Tenerife receives from July 7th to 22nd, 2021 the artistic residency Petróleo, by creator Poliana Lima.

Petróleo is a choreographic project exploring a central idea of the body as a dynamic, disruptive space of archival remembering, forgetting and renewal. It explores the more dynamic potential of conservation over the fixing impulse of preservation.

Tumultuous earthly compressions over time and space transform, solidify and liquify elements deep within the body of the earth.The title refers to the  materiality of this ‘black gold’; its geological formations, extractions, exploitations and its source of energy and power.The project explores the archaeology of this commodity through time, space, people, places and bodies.

Extracting this highly valued source of energy requires exploratory skill and precision, violence and displacement; a powerful metaphor for the deep mining required for the choreographic process. A process in which the socialised, dancing body moves through time and space, through personal and collective strata to  draw deep on sources of power, energy and disruption.

A key autobiographical element in this creative journey is the recently discovered unique story of Poliana Lima’s black grandfather - Antonio Vieira Lima – the son of one of the descendants of the 5.5 million African slaves forcibly transported to Brazil.

This unearthed ancestral biography is contextualised within the broader collectivised and problematic miscegenation policies of Brazilian ‘cultural democracy’ which becomes one of the driving forces for the creative and intellectual ambitions of the  project.

The autobiographical element serves as a forceful catalyst in which to engage in  a whole series of archival acts where mining an individual’s familial history – a purposeful remembering - unearths images, beliefs, memories, dreams, sounds, actions – that resonate beyond the realm of the personal.

The core research imperative of this project is to discover in what ways is an enculturated body formed, made visible and ‘readable’. Equally important to discover is by what means other cultural inflections, influences and practices are negated or marginalised within a dominant evolving national cultural matrix and yet  may  be revealed  through a choreographic archaeology of self.

Through Petróleo, Poliana Lima asks herself the question – who I  am now and what is my potential when what has been hidden from me over the years comes to light and forces me to re-think, acknowledge and celebrate what is possible.

Petróleo embodies the complex emotional and physical explorations required to ‘un-fix’ an existing self. It encourages  self-reflexivity, inviting  the audience to think beyond introspection.The performance event is a catalyst through which energy releasing fractures opens dialogues between archived  history and active forgetting, authenticity and moral authority, homogeneity and criticality.

Petróleo is  an  attempt  to  see  how  a  choreographic  performance work can broaden the scope of identity-based actions which seek to re-confirm differences.The perspective here is to ‘co-join’ in our moves towards self- realisation  and  go  beyond  individual  struggles.The  outcome  of  which  would be to leave behind mere tolerance and achieve a more radical and inclusive solidarity-based universality.The aspiration here is that the choreography activates the audience’s  sense of historical agency.

The audience bears witness to the performer’s energy and determination to excavate a renewing identity, by drilling into ancestral strata, releasing a fluidity, power and force to create a renovating sense of personhood.The performance becomes a form of ritualistic incorporation, joining together the invisible with the visible, the untold with the told, stillness alongside the fluidity of movement,a tangible psycho-geology of the self.

S P Purcell April 14, 2021

Poliana Lima is an 2021 Aerowaves artist with the piece: Things move but they do not say anything. She was an associate Artist at Conde Duque (2018-2020) and a regular collaborator at Centro Danza Canal, both in Madrid. She is a multi- award winning dancer and choreographer, originating from Brazil and now a long term resident in Spain. Exploring the possibilities of a highly functioning minimalistic poetics of the body through identity and memory are key as a strategy to deeply connect with audiences. These thematics directly inform her pedagogic approaches to choreographing, performing and teaching.

The registration for this intensive and specialised training is now open; it takes place from the 26^th to the 30^th of July

The Auditorio de Tenerife, cultural space linked to the Department of Culture of Tenerife Island Council, is managed by its Director of Culture, Enrique Arriaga. From the 26-30 July, the institution offers a playwriting workshop with Gabriel Calderón, a renowned author on the Latin American theatre scene. Registration is open until 18 July for this intensive and specialised training, titled 'La última obra mala' (The last bad play).

Attendees will be using resources considered imperfect, useless procedures, unsuccessful acknowledgements of other people's procedures, plus writing in 15 hours. “Together with the existing pretensions, we they will try to recreate the last bad work of each one of us”, explains the playwright. “On the one hand, we will thus be freed to finally write that good work" proposes Calderón, who adds “at the same time - perhaps and only perhaps - we will approach what writing a play is. We will rather not do so from a knowledge point of view, accepting all that we are not, all that we do not know, and the fact that we write as a founding part of creation." 

The schedule for the first four days is from 9:00 - 2:00 pm. On Friday, the last day, the workshop finishes at 1:00 pm. This activity is recommended for professional and amateur playwrights. The proposal consists of using five sessions to generate materials of this "bad play", with which the workshop will conclude. Having written, published, self-published or staged a play, having attended workshops and courses in playwriting are facts to be considered as an asset to select the candidates.

The training takes place in the Sala Alisios of the Auditorio de Tenerife and has a general cost of €30 and €15 for students. This training is the kick-off activity of the ‘Muestra Escénica Iberoamericana’ (MEI) 2021. To register, candidates shall send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.ng with their basic contact details and CV evidencing the experience. All the information on this workshop is available on the website of Auditorio de Tenerife under the Training section: www.auditoriodetenerife.com .

Gabriel Calderón (Montevideo, 1982) is a playwright, actor and director. He has been active in Uruguayan theatre since 2001 when his first premiere, ‘Más vale solo’ (Better alone) was awarded Best Play. He also received a mention for best playwriting at the “11^th Encuentro Teatro Joven" in Montevideo. Since then, he has written more than twenty plays that have been performed in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru), Europe (Spain and France) and the United States.

Calderón premiered last April a play that he also directed called "Historia de un jabalí o algo de Ricardo" (A Wild Boar's Tale or something by Ricardo), at the Teatro de La Abadía in Madrid, a production of Temporada Alta 2020 and Grec 2020-Festival de Barcelona, considered by the Spanish newspaper 'La Vanguardia' as one of the best plays of 2020. He also made his Italian debut in May with an Italian adaptation of his text 'Ana contra la muerte' (Ana against death) at the Teatro Storchi in Modena. 

Between 2006 and 2010, he was Director-General of cultural projects at the National Directorate of Culture of Uruguay’s State Government; in 2014 and 2015, he was director of the Instituto Nacional de Artes Escénicas. He is currently a coordinator of Dramaturgy at the EMAD and at the Universidad de la República.

In 2004, at the age of 21, he premièred 'Mi muñequita (la farsa)' (My little doll, the farce) one of the most influential shows in Uruguayan theatre so far in the 21^st century. The play remained on the stage for three years and received the main nominations for the Florencio Awards (best national playwriting, show, cast and director). From then on, he was considered as the initiator of a significant generational renewal, both of theatrical language and of the audience. 

In 2005 he received the Florencio Award for the best direction of the season for his version of 'Morir (o no)' (To die, or not) by Sergi Belbel and the Morosoli Award for his contribution to national culture in his short career. He has also won the National Literature Prize on two occasions: in 2011 for 'Mi pequeño mundo porno' (My little porno world) and in 2016 for the anthology 'Tal vez la vida sea ridícula' (which brings together the texts of his trilogy 'Uz - el pueblo, Or -tal vez la vida sea ridícula' and 'Ex -que revienten los actores', as well as a reprint of 'Mi muñequita).

He completed his training with scholarships in Spain (Fundación Carolina, 2004) and England (International Residency at the Royal Court Theatre in London, 2009). He was a member of the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors Lab (New York) and artist-in-residence at the Théâtre des Quartiers d'Ivry (Paris) between 2011 and 2013. His appearance on the local scene was influenced by a strong generational imprint and a belligerent attitude towards speeches and consolidated languages by means of tradition. His 'mature' shows keep that intense acting and vertiginous scenic rhythm that were the hallmark of the first ones. Likewise, they add a new and fundamental topic: a review of Uruguay's recent political history from a very personal perspective that includes melodrama, science fiction and humour in terms of absurdity. 

Enrique Arriaga, who attended the concert that the Young Choir offered yesterday, stresses the "great work delivered by the young chorus members"

The Auditorio de Tenerife, a cultural space linked to the Department of Culture of Tenerife Island Council, is managed by its Director of Culture, Enrique Arriaga. The Auditorium’s Youth Choir offers on Thursday, the 8^th of July at 7:30 pm, a concert in the Real Casino of Tenerife. The Youth Choir was created in 2016 within the Educational and Social Area of Auditorio de Tenerife. It is comprised of some thirty voices, young people who are between 16 and 30 years old, and it is directed by Roxana Schmunk.

During their concert in the Real Casino de Tenerife, they will feature the same 18 pieces they sang yesterday during the concert offered by the Auditorio de Tenerife. Once more and with a full Chamber Hall, they achieved a new success. Enrique Arriaga attended the concert and after it, he met the director and the choir members. 

"The Island Council stresses its support of this cultural project, even more so after seeing the enormous work delivered by their young members", declared Arriaga, who added that this group "has offered a fantastic performance at the end of a season which has been very conditioned by health restrictions".

The themes that were performed in the Chamber Hall and will be heard again this Thursday in the Real Casino are: Joyful, Joyful (Sister Act 2), based on Ode to Joy, Beethoven's 9^th Symphony (arranged by Mervyn Warren) with Laura Picar and Javier de Lathouwer as soloist; The Music’s Always There with You by John Rutter; Vida, vida, by Francisco Céspedes featuring Rozied Correa. The programme will continue with Como la cigarra, by María Elena Walsh, arranged by Beatriz Corona; to continue with Indodana, a traditional isiXhosa song arranged by Michael Barrett and Ralf Schmitt.

Next, the concert will continue with Ballade to the Moon, by Daniel Elder; No hay camino, by Antonio Machado and Eurico Carrapatoso; with Arantxa Cooper, Pablo Daryanani or Rozied Correa as soloist; The Seal Lullaby, de Rudyard Kipling y Erik Whitacre; Cuando te beso, by Juan Luis Guerra, where Andrés Misle will sing as a soloist. Only in Sleep, by Sara Teasdale and Ēriks Ešenvalds; A Song for You, by Leonard Russell; traditional lullaby, Arrorró arranged by Beatriz Corona; And So It Goes, by Billy Joel; Bring Me Little Water with Yolanda Pascual as soloist; Nocturnos de la ventana, by Federico García Lorca and F. Vila; The Lord Bless You, by John Rutter; Hallelujah, by Leonard Cohen, and A Sky Full of Stars, by Coldplay.

Tickets are on sale to enjoy the live concert in the Chamber Hall. The concert will be streamed through our Facebook page

The Youth Choir of Auditorio de Tenerife is linked to the Department of Culture of Tenerife Island Council that is managed by the councillor of Culture Enrique Arriaga. The Choir bids farewell to the season with a concert entitled Al cantar se hace camino (The path is created by singing). Tickets are on sale to enjoy the performance on the next 4 July at 7:00 pm in the Chamber Hall. The audience can also see this event through the Facebook page of Auditorio de Tenerife.

Roxana Schmunk directs the young choristers, staged by Melodie Pérez and the piano accompaniment of Steffi Brandl. The programme starts with Joyful, Joyful (Sister Act 2), based on Ode to Joy, Beethoven's 9th Symphony (arranged by Mervyn Warren) with the soloist Laura Picar and Javier de Lathouwer. It will continue with
The Music’s Always There With You, by John Rutter.

Next the young choristers will sing Vida, vida, by Francisco Céspedes and Rozied Correa as a soloist. Como la cigarra, by María Elena Walsh and arranged by Beatriz Corona, will be the next piece of the concert to continue with Indodana, a traditional isiXhosa song arranged by Michael Barrett and Ralf Schmitt.

Next, the programme offers Ballade to the Moon, by Daniel Elder; No hay camino, by Antonio Machado and Eurico Carrapatoso; with Arantxa Cooper, Pablo Daryanani or Rozied Correa as soloist; The Seal Lullaby, by Rudyard Kipling and Erik Whitacre; Cuando te beso, by Juan Luis Guerra, where Andrés Misle will sing as a soloist.

Only in Sleep, by Sara Teasdale and Ēriks Ešenvalds; A Song for You, by Leonard Russell; traditional lullaby, Arrorró arranged by Beatriz Corona; And So It Goes, by Billy Joel; Bring Me Little Water with Yolanda Pascual as soloist; Nocturnos de la ventana, by Federico García Lorca and F. Vila; The Lord Bless You, by John Rutter; Hallelujah, by Leonard Cohen, and A Sky Full of Stars, by Coldplay.

The Youth Choir of Auditorio de Tenerife was created in 2016 within the Educational and Social Area of Auditorio de Tenerife. It is comprised of some thirty voices, young people who are between 16 and 30 years old, and it is directed by Roxana Schmunk. This youth choir is already a reference in the choral culture of the Canary Islands.

Tickets can be purchased until one hour before each show on the website www.auditoriodetenerife.com and by dialling the phone number 902 317 327 from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. During the purchase process, the user will have to choose between one or two pre-set seats distributed throughout the hall. The audience is requested to arrive at the venue well in advance to enter the Auditorium in staggered "waves".

By purchasing tickets, you accept the measures implemented by the cultural centre to combat Coronavirus, such as the correct use of masks and attendance at the event only with people you live with. All of the measures, as well as the contingency plan certified by AENOR, can be consulted on the Auditorium’s website.

Tickets for this Saturday's concert are already sold out

The Auditorio de Tenerife, an institution linked to the Department of Culture of Tenerife Island Council, is managed by the island's Minister of Culture, Enrique Arriaga. On Saturday 26 from 7:00 pm onwards, it offers a zarzuela anthology to close the lyrical season of this cultural venue. Under the musical direction of José Luis Gómez, the sopranos Marina Monzó and Sofía Esparza, the tenor José Bros, the baritone Javier Franco feature during this production with music by the OST, Tenerife Symphony Orchestra. The tickets are sold out.

The four singers will perform four duets. The first piece is titled 'Hace tiempo que vengo al taller' from the zarzuela ‘La del manojo de rosas’, with Sofía Esparza and Javier Franco. The concert will continue with José Bros as Fernando and Sofía Esparza as Doña Francisquita, who feature the second act duet of ‘Doña Francisquita’. Marina Monzó (as Luisa) and Javier Franco (as Vidal) will sing the duet of 'Luisa Fernanda'. José Bros will sing 'Torero quiero ser', from the zarzuela 'El gato montés'.

José Bros will sing two solos 'De este apacible rincón de Madrid', a romance of 'Luisa Fernanda', and ‘No puede ser’, from the zarzuela 'La tabernera del puerto'. Marina Monzó will sing 'La primorosa', from the zarzuela 'El barbero de Sevilla' and 'La canción del arlequín', of 'La generala'. Sofía Esparza will be the starring singer of 'Canción de Paloma',from the zarzuela 'El barberillo de Lavapies' and of 'La salida de Cecilia Valdés', a piece of 'Cecilia Valdés'. Javier Franco sings a solo in the romance 'Madrileña bonita', a piece from the zarzuela 'La del manojo de rosas', and 'Luché la fe por el triunfo', from 'Luisa Fernanda'.

The programme is rounded up with a solo by the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra playing the preludes of 'La revoltosa', the second act of 'La del manojo de rosas', 'Agua, azucarillos y aguardiente', 'El bateo' and the intermezzos of 'La leyenda del beso' and 'La boda de Luis Alonso'.     

The Spanish orchestra conductor José Luis Gómez was born in Venezuela and makes his debut in the Opera de Tenerife during this season. In September 2010, he won the first prize during the Sir Georg Solti International Conductors' Competition in Frankfurt. He was subsequently appointed assistant conductor of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony. He currently works as music director for the Tucson Symphony, and from 2012 to 2015 he was principal conductor of the orchestra Teatro Sociale di Como.

He has conducted the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra and also the  RTVE Orchestra, Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, the Houston Symphony, the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Ottawa, the Radio Symphonie-Orchester Stuttgart, the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, the Weimar Staatskapelle, the Komische Oper Berlin company, the Karlsruhe Staatstheatre Orchestra, the Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano, the Basel Sinfonietta, the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestras of Colorado, Alabama, Edmonton and Winnipeg.

José Bros returns to the Auditorio de Tenerife, where he premièred Werther in 2016. Subsequently, he also directed Don Carlo (2018) and worked during the lyrical gala celebrated last December. Bros is considered one of the greatest exponents of the romantic bel canto repertoire. Thanks to his outstanding musicality, he has covered a very wide opera and zarzuela repertoire with more than 65 titles. He was born in Barcelona, where he studied music at the Municipal Music Conservatory and sang with the maestro Jaume Francisco Puig. In 1991, he made his debut in Sabadell with Don Giovanni (Mozart). In 1992 he conducted Anna Bollena (Donizetti) at the Gran Teatre del Liceu with Edita Gruberova. 

Bros works as a regular conductor at theatres such as Covent Garden (London), Teatro alla Scala (Milan), Real (Madrid), Colón (Buenos Aires), Vienna Opera, Hamburg, Munich, Los Angeles, Toronto, Tokyo, Seville, Washington, Rome, Hong Kong and San Francisco, among others. His constant concert and oratorio activity has taken him to emblematic halls such as the Musikverein (Vienna), Santa Cecilia (Rome), Carnegie Hall (New York), Philharmonie (Munich), Palau de la Música Catalana (Barcelona), Moscow International House of Music (Moscow), among others.

Marina Monzó makes her debut during the Opera de Tenerife season. She studied piano, flute and singing at the Conservatory of Valencia. She attended several master-classes with artists like Mariella Devia, Renata Scotto, Daniela Dessì, Juan Diego Flórez and Raúl Giménez. She has been studying regularly with soprano Isabel Rey since 2014. Her repertoire includes titles by Bellini, Donizetti, Mozart, Rossini and Verdi. In September 2015 she participated in a Gala at the Teatro Real, where she shared the stage with singers such as Juan Pons, Gregory Kunde, Carlos Álvarez and Isabel Rey. 

In 2016 she made her debut at the Bilbao Opera with the role of Amina in La sonnambula (Bellini) and joined the Accademia Rossiniana di Pesaro under the direction of Maestro Alberto Zedda, where she made her debut with the role of La Contessa di Folleville from Il Viaggio a Reims (Rossini). Since then, she has sung with the tenor Juan Diego Flórez in different concerts. She made her début at the Teatro de la Zarzuela with Le cinesi (Gluck), and Il viaggio a Reims at the Verona Philharmonic Theatre; she featured Sophie of Werther (Massenet) in Las Palmas; she featured Oscar of Un ballo in maschera (Mozart) in La Coruña; Inés of La Favorite (Donizetti) at the Teatro Real; Fulvia of La pietra del paragone (Rossini), during the Rossini Opera Festival. She sang in Naples during the opera Rigoletto (Verdi), and in Florence during the opera Don Pasquale (Donizetti).

Javier Franco was born in La Coruña and makes his debut in Opera Tenerife. He has worked in theatres such as Real, La Zarzuela and Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Palau de Les Arts in Valencia, Palacio de Ópera in La Coruña, Campoamor in Oviedo, Comunale di Bologna, the Verdi in Sassari and Salerno (Italy), São Carlos in Lisbon or Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo. He has collaborated with maestros such as Zubin Mehta, Jesús López Cobos, Guillermo García Calvo, José Ramón Tebar, Donato Renzetti, Renato Palumbo, Steven Mercurio, Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez, José Luis Temes, Maurizio Benini and Pablo Mielgo, among others. His operatic repertoire includes works by Verdi, Donizetti, Puccini, Montsalvatge, Gounod, Rossini, Wolf-Ferrari, Mozart, Leoncavallo, Falla and Orff. From the Spanish lyric repertoire, he has sung the Zarzuela 'La del manojo de rosas' (Sorozábal); ‘La fattucchiera’ (Cuyás); ‘Los gavilanes’ (Guerrero); ‘La rosa del azafrán’ (Guerrero); ‘El caserí’o (Guridi); ‘Pan y toros’ (Asenjo Barbieri); ‘Katiuska’ (Sorozábal) and ‘Marina’ (Arrieta), among others.

Sofía Esparza was born in Pamplona in 1994. She participated in the Opera (e)Studio programme of Opera Tenerife during the 2019-2020 season. She has studied with great masters, like Alberto Zedda, Mariella Devia, Renato Bruson, Malcolm Martineau, Giulio Zappa and Ana Luisa Chova, among others. She has won over a dozen prizes in international competitions, which recognise her as an emerging young lyric artist.  In addition to the Auditorio de Tenerife, she has performed at the Tbilisi Opera State Theatre in Georgia, at the Comunale di Bologna and in Spanish theatres, such as the Palau de les Arts (Valencia), Gran Canaria, Teatro Campoamor (Oviedo), Arriaga (Bilbao), Gayarre and Auditorio Baluarte (Pamplona). Likewise, she has shared the stage with world-famous artists, such as Anna Pirozzi and Plácido Domingo.

“Hammamturgia” (“Hammamturgy”)  is a new research process that will be started by ‘Societat Doctor Alonso’ at the Auditorio de Tenerife from 21 to 27 June 2021.

The collective seeks to formalise this new research in stage format, yet it does not rule out other ways to share the work with the masses. In the last eight years, they have started and undertaken three research processes that have led them to a variety of formats and pieces.

These research processes came to be for two reasons: firstly, the need that the collective's members had to interact and work with different people/creators/thinkers – different from the usual ones. A need to open their way of looking at the world, add new perspectives, questions, came to ways of doing things. Secondly, and looking back on the three pieces of research that came before “Hammamturgia”, the process also came to be out of an obsession that has gradually unfolded in a unique way.

Questioning the learned Western way of looking at things, of relating, and of inhabiting the world… this drive has not abandoned 'Societat Doctor Alonso' throughout all these processes.

Background

During the project entitled "La Glorieta" ("Small Glory"), the initial question was: what is central and what is peripheral in speech: That was followed by: what happens in peripheral speech? it questions key elements of speech and focuses the interest and gaze towards what could be considered peripheral in nature. An intuitive and conceptual approach, and one that already indicated a line along which future, more precise research would follow. "Glorieta" yielded a series of mechanisms and practical sketches –unfinished– that posed many questions and pointed towards ways to continue the search.

The next project "El desenterrador de palabras" (“The Excavator of Words”) worked in a way similar to that of "Glorieta"; that is to say, questioning something or considering it to be in crisis. While in “Glorieta” the pre-eminence of the central aspect of speech was questioned, here the function and ability of words to account for the world that they supposedly define has been questioned by taking two steps forward. Firstly, by explicitly and concretely focusing on a way to work: words. Secondly, by centring the research down a single path and delving deeper thereinto.

While in "Glorieta" many different practices were implemented and varied mechanisms and questions came about, in "Desenterrador" it was decided to focus on a single practice until reaching perfection.  Thus arose the notion of the excavation of words as a group work technique that continues to be employed today and which brought about the ‘textuality’ of the stage piece entitled "Y los huesos hablaron" ("And the Bones Spoke").

"Contrakant" is the collective's third research process. It continues questioning elements of the supposed way of understanding the world to generate a hole or crack through which other realities or perceptions can be seen. Specifically, it proposes questioning the ‘a priori judgements’ of Kant,  according to which we Westerners can only approach and understand reality through structures of space and time that have been previously given to us. Once again, here the intention is to turn around "knowledge" as it is believed to be and as it is thought to work. In this case, by attacking head-on one of the thinkers who this occasion solidly contributed to building the way in which Westerners believe the world can be known.

"Hammamturgia" ("Hammamturgy") is a new step along this path, immersed in something atmospheric, almost innate. it is not so much a question of analysing the functioning of some type of knowledge or mechanism that defines the visible world; that is to say, this time it is not work that is carried out from the outside to find an inside. In Hammamturgy, the step consists of being inside, going through it, being that thing that moves us yet which we don't see.

In research pieces, 'Societat Doctor Alonso' wants to take this trip accompanied by other people and other gazes. They will hold meetings with people engaged in discourses on the body and its 'performativity,' discourses on the Arab world, and discourses on architectural space. They aim to build a space of shared intimacy which features the characteristics of an Arab hammam

A key element:

This research process arises out of the need to understand an intuition. The existence of the “Hammamturgy”. The 'Societat Doctor Alonso' exposes:

"We know that alongside all dramaturgy there is a Hammamturgy. Hammamturgy is something organic that organises, forgive the repetition, what can happen. A happening that is sedimentary. We read dramaturgy, but what really drives change, when it's fair, is Hammamturgy, which, just like dramaturgy, is not life. Hammamturgy would be the ordering of change. Not a narrative of change, but the incursion into change. It is what is outside of you, what really happens. That is why it is important to work on a ritual, because it goes from beginning to end, because it does not leave you halfway, because it is not a part but the whole. The ritual has a fixed liturgy that will allow us to fix our gaze on hammamturgy. And, therefore, two things will happen at the same time. The liturgy of the hammam of the body/cleaning/relaxation, and Hammamturgy, the change, that which is shared.

Why a hammam? Because it is a liturgy that is distant and close to us at the same time. We do not practice it daily and this distance will give us a limit, needed for learning and freedom. It is close to us due to cultural ties and our shared Mediterranean origin. It has a clear and defined liturgy, from start to finish. In one way and come out another, because your body has undergone a process of cleansing and change. The spectators will hardly have time to wonder about anything; they will be immersed in the space and its liturgy, quickly located in the centre of Hammamturgy, because the body is an essential part of liturgy and it is at the centre of the proposal.

In a hammam the perception is in the body. A body that stops, takes off its clothing, cleanses itself with water, is subjected to different temperatures to allow sweat —excess— to be extracted, and is toned. It is the body that receives a massage, stretches, and relaxes; that is renewed.

And perception is made by the context. Spectators who arrive at “Hammamturgia” will be invited to dispose of all their belongings and clothes, they will be given a towel, a bucket, and a sponge. And, equipped in this way, they will access the Hammam.

Their gaze will change without the need to activate anything, being in a closed, intimate space with other people under the same circumstances. Something related to intimacy will inevitably kick in.

Men and women separated. Like a sculptural gesture that first tends to the material and its physical characteristics. The same with the same, because inside the same are all the possibilities.

Men with men. Women with women.

A principle and a decision made out of exhaustive respect for the hammam's liturgy. The space is the first discourse. “Hammamturgy” generates a warm place for cleaning within the city. We will build a moist space, closed, placed on the stage. The stage, where everything should be lighted, visible, exposed, will be occupied by a closed space where the spectators enter. The stage is modified to become a closed space, invisible and hidden to those outside, modifying the position of the spectator who will access the stage and become part of it.

The time of intimacy.

When someone goes to the hammam, they are taking a break, a marked pause in their usual daily rhythm of life. The hammam is a place of cleanliness, silence, and repose. It is a place for a pause."

(*) Image copyright: Photo-book "Many changes are taking place" by Alejandro Granero (2021).