The Canal Hispanidad cycle at the Teatros del Canal in Madrid will host a reinterpretation of La Celestina, a classic work of the Spanish Renaissance by Fernando de Rojas, from December 3 to 8. This production relocates its story to a vibrant neighborhood in Havana.
This version, titled Celestina, was written by Cuban playwright Norge Espinosa and directed by Carlos Díaz, who blends Afro-Cuban folklore and Iberian tradition from a contemporary perspective, according to a press release from Teatros del Canal.
Espinosa offers an adaptation that overflows with sensuality, eroticism, and social critique through the tale of the love story between Calisto and Melibea, facilitated by the matchmaker Celestina.
The plot unfolds in a Caribbean setting where the struggle between desire, morality, and magic takes on a new meaning, the statement expresses.
Carlos Díaz, founder of Teatro El Público and known for his provocative productions, considered Fernando de Rojas's work to be an inexhaustible text, “a seedbed where you can collect whatever you wish,” he stated.
For the director, Celestina is not just a matchmaker but a “seamstress of hymens,” a character that embodies the double standards and contradictions of her time.
The production is the result of a collaboration between Fundarte in Miami and Teatro El Público in Havana, and it features Cuban actors residing in Spain.
In July 2023, it premiered in Alcalá de Henares as part of the Ibero-American Festival of the Golden Age of the Community of Madrid.
The presentation of this Celestina at Teatros del Canal – C. de Cea Bermúdez, 1, Chamberí, in Madrid – is part of the Canal Hispanidad cycle, which celebrates the diversity and richness of Latin American theater.
This space aims to connect the people of Madrid with artistic proposals that reinvent the classics from fresh and contemporary perspectives, the note details.
Fundarte is a nonprofit cultural organization based in Miami, dedicated to promoting and producing artistic and cultural events that highlight cultural and artistic diversity, particularly within the Hispanic and Latin American communities.
Filed under: