Irene Escolar
| Direction and cast: | Irene Escolar |
| Producer and distributor: | Buxman Producciones |
| With the support of the: | Community of Madrid’s Festival de Otoño a Primavera |
| Thanks to: | Menéndez Pelayo International University, Sybilla, Marta Alonso, El Pavón Teatro Kamikaze, Jordi Buxó, Laura García Lorca, Federico García Lorca Foundation, Álex Rigola, Nao Albet, Lluis Pasqual, Manolo Llanes and Teatro de La Abadía (for the use of the song El pastor bobo (The silly shepherd), which belongs to the production El público (The Audience), directed by Àlex Rigola). |
“Esta risa de hoy es mi risa de ayer, mi risa de infancia y campo, mi risa silvestre que yo defenderé siempre, siempre hasta que me muera”. (“This laughter today is my laughter from yesterday, my childhood and country laughter, my ordinary laughter that I will always defend, always until I die”).Federico García Lorca
The Menendez Pelayo International University called up Irene Escolar to create a tribute to Federico García Lorca on the 80th anniversary of his execution. The actress, who had just starred in Lorca’s El público (The Audience) under director Alex Rigola –a play that became one of last season’s most outstanding pieces– accepted the invitation without hesitation. Escolar chose fragments from some of the Granada poet’s most famous pieces to bring this special tribute in recital form to life, including Bodas de sangre (Blood Wedding), Doña Rosita la soltera (Doña Rosita the Spinster), Yerma, Sonetos de amor oscuro (Sonnets of Dark Love) and El público (The Audience). Escolar brings her Leyendo Lorca to the stage once again this autumn for the XXXIV Festival de Otoño a Primavera for a one-day run on Friday, 21 October (free admission, limited seats) at the Residencia de Estudiantes, a venue that jumps on the festival bandwagon for the first time this season.
With love and women as the thematic thread, the Madrid-born actress suggests that the best tribute to mark the 80th anniversary of Lorca’s death is to read his work. “It is surprising how well he can portray women”, she says. Considered by critics as one of Spain’s most talented, peculiar young actresses, Escolar says that she “felt the need to use simplicity as a departure point for communicating through the words of Lorca”. Free from artificiality, delivered from only a lectern on the stage and her voice, underpinned by the idea of getting back to the roots, to the basics. “He said: I have bitter but living poetry, and what I want is to make you wake up”. Escolar chose a fragment of one of the poet’s most beloved texts, Poeta en Nueva York (Poet in New York), to introduce her recital:
“Ladies and gentlemen:
Whenever I speak before a large group I always think I must have opened the wrong door. Some friendly hands have given me a shove, and here I am. And today the only show I can offer you is some bitter, living poetry. Perhaps I can lash its eyes open for you. Well, then, in any event, I must speak clearly. I haven’t come here to entertain you. I don’t want to, not bothered, couldn’t care less. I’ve come here to fight, to fight body to body against a placid mass, given that I’m not going to give a lecture but a poetry reading—my flesh, my joy, my feelings—and I have to defend myself against the huge dragon which I have in front of me, which could swallow me up with his three hundred yawns or his three hundred cheated heads”.