Book Fair delights audiences with street theater

Book Fair delights audiences with street theater
Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, 05/18/2011

The biggest Dominican book party not only offers visitors a loaded schedule of conferences, symposia, workshops for children, shows, among other attractions; you can also enjoy the performance of one of the plays presented by young artist.

These works are: Corazón del Pueblo (People’s Heart), a sort of historical street carnival staging the works by Juan Pablo Duarte and Pedro Mir. It portrays, in a current context, the main supporting and opposition characters of National Independence.

And so, as noted by the director of the Traveling Theatre, Carlota Carretero, who explained that on this occasion, the Ministry of Culture and the management of the XIV International Book Fair, will offer four street plays as part of their event program.

She said that the plays are the collective creations by the Dominican Department of Fine Arts’ theater group.

These works are: Corazón del Pueblo (People’s Heart), a sort of historical street carnival staging the works by Juan Pablo Duarte and Pedro Mir. It portrays, in a current context, the main supporting and opposition characters of National Independence. Seven young people march through the streets, recreating the events that commemorate the commitment made at that time by youth to achieve independence.

“This is a recreation that has to do with our carnival, it is a kind of patriotic carnival,” one of the actresses explained.

Another play is the Asalto Pirata (Pirate Assault), which portrays the colonial era. Pirate Francis Drake arrives in the city of Santo Domingo, and then asks for a 25 thousand ducats ransom from the city; but, ultimately, the city could only pay 2,000.

“This story was very dramatic since Drake burned churches, looted the city, and stole the bells of the Cathedral, among other things. This is a kind of game, the Creole and other pirate characters are presented to Governor Ovalles, and it also integrates the audience,” said Carretero.

She said that the intention of these theater plays is to remember the characters that are part of our history, such as is the case of Francis Drake.

There is another play, La corte de María de Toledo (The court of Maria de Toledo), which portrays the moment when Maria de Toledo moved Don Diego Colón’s and his father’s remains, from Spain, to fulfill the Admiral’s last wish. The three women are seen, one carrying the remains and the others portraying Maria de Toledo and Felipa Colón de Toledo, the Admiral’s eldest daughter.

And La guarda cuidadosa (The careful keeper), a classic piece that seeks to connect the public with our Hispanic roots and our mother tongue. Written in the late sixteenth century, it describes the amorous encounters of a poor soldier, in love with the house maid of wealthy people, who rejects his advances as she is in love with a church sexton.

“These performances are intended to revive Dominican stories, both from the colonial and the republican periods, and to remember Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra, who was a prominent writer of the Spanish language,” said Carlota Carretero.

The Traveling Theatre is made up of young actors Diogenes Medina, Indiana Brito, Rafael Morla, Johanna Gonzalez, Billy Mejia, Ivan Aybar and Cindy Galán, under the direction of Carlota Carretero, and Lilliam Feliz as production assistant.

Two daily performances will be offered to the public during week days, one at 11 am and another at 4 pm; and one performance at 4 pm during weekends.