Narciso González Cultural Center Presents the IX National Emilio Aparicio Festival (XVII March Theatrical)

The Narciso González Cultural Center of the Ministry of Culture, will present the 9th version of the Emilio Aparicio National Amateur Theater Festival to be inaugurated on March 2 with the play, “The Other Side of the World,” at 7:00 p.m. in the Monina Solá Hall of the Culture Center.

The ninth edition of the Emilio Aparicio Festival will award the winning theater group with a cash prize of 75,000 pesos for first place; second place will win 50,000 pesos and third place will win 25,000 pesos.

Thirty eight groups will be participating in the amateur theater festival and are divided into different areas such as: children’s theater, groups from outside and inside of the capital Santo Domingo, international theater and street theater. The international invitees include “The Good Ones from Palermo,” an Argentina group; “The Sobretablas,” from Venezuela and the “Group Theater” made up of Dominicans living in New York.

Basilio Nova, Director of the Narciso González Cultural Center, said the groups will be presenting their pieces from March 2-5 in the Monina Solá and Puppet Halls, both located in the Center. 

National plays in the Festival include “The Exile” by Rhenny Armando Gotos; “The Other Side of the World” written by Edward Díaz and directed by Lidia Ariza; “The Haunted House” by Francisco Palacios Hardy and directed by Gabriel Terrero Gómez; “Time for Hope” by Elba Batista; “Tragic by Force” by Antón Chekhov and directed by Enrique Vidal Paniagua; “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” by Carmely Mota and the “Locking up Madness” by Luis Therko Vargas.

Other plays to be put on include “The Farsical Justice of Mr. Magistrate” by Alejandro Casona, directed by Basilio Gálvez; “Two Pesos of Water”, from the adapted short stories of Juan Bosch, directed by Tempora Morel; “Dramatic Experiences” by Diómedes Mieses, under the direction of Manuel Chapuseaux and  Jorge Mendoza; “The Dead Man was Alive”, free version of Bosch’s stories directed by Juan José Pita.

The playlist continues with “Dangerous Game” by Carlos Canales, directed by Benjamín Guzmán; “The Indelible Stain”, a Bosch adaptation directed by Roberto Abreu; “Among Women” by Solanyi Gómez; “Faces” by Alfredo Caraballo and directed by Dahina Odeisy Delgado; “The Parabolists”, directed by Rafael Noemí; “Roots” by Miguel de los Santos and “What do I Care?” by Jansel Hernández.

“Adolescents” adapted and directed by Tony Arias; “Don Damián’s Beautiful Soul” adaptation of Juan Bosch’s stories and “The  Blue Prince” by Williams Hands and directed by Minerva Sánchez; “Flowers  of Gold” directed by Margaret Sosa and “The Animator” by Rodolfo Santana and directed by Jorge Núñez.

AWARDS

The ninth edition of the Emilio Aparicio Festival will award the winning theater group with a cash prize of 75,000 pesos for first place; second place will win 50,000 pesos and third place will win 25,000 pesos. Groups receiving Honorable Mention will each receive 10,000 pesos. In addition, all participating groups will be given 10,000 pesos. Those groups coming from outside the capital or from abroad will have their transportation, lodging and food needs taken care of.

The Emilio Aparicio National Amateur Theater Festival takes its name from the late founder of the School of Fine Arts who came to the Dominican Republic from Spain during that country’s civil war.

The Festival is free to the public. Plays will be performed at 10:00 am, 5:00pm and 7:00pm.

This year’s festival is dedicated to Jaime Lucero, dramatist, actor and theater director and to Fernando Coste, actor, director, professor and theater technician.

Basilio Nova, Director of the Narciso González Cultural Center offers details about the 9th Emilio Aparicio National Amateur Theater Festival. Accompanying him are Haffe Serrullu, Elizabeth Ovalle, assistant director of the Center; Bernarda Jorge, Deputy Minister of Culture; Ana América Aparicio; Radhamés Polanco, Festival Consultant and Karina Noble.