Adaptations – Por treze, tres.

SOLD OUT: A new musical based on Celestina

A few fortunate people in Zaragoza were able to buy tickets for today’s performance of Celestina: Un musical joven, which is sold out.

I do not know what kind of musical this new version is, if it is remotely linked to Brad Bond’s Celestina: A Tragic Musical Comedy or not. But, according to the descriptions I have been able to find on the internet, it is a musical by young actors conceived to make Celestina attractive for a young audience.

If it does, I do neither know, because I have not been able but to watch the trailer at the corresponding Instagram account and it does not give much information on the show. However, I would be very glad to hear more on this project.

The script and adaptation is due to Jesús Gacías, a mathematician, componist and actor himself, in collaboration with Guillermo Alcalde for the music. Choreography by Alicia Soravilla. The cast has been chosen among young actors of the city of Zaragoza (open casting at the end of 2019) and they have been working on this project since then. The musical was first staged on the 29th and 30th of June 2022 and this is the second time it is performed in Zaragoza after its initial success.

By the way, it might be interesting to remember that, besides Brad Bond’s and this new musical version, there is one less Broadway, more traditional sung version fo Celestina by Molto Vivace, which was also mentioned in this post of 2019 and of which you can see a summary here.

One further stage adaptation: Celestina infernal by Teatro Corsario

Some days ago I stumbled upon a poster of Celestina infernal, an adaptation of Celestina by Teatro Corsario whose principal feature is that it is entirely played by puppets. Although this concept is not totally new (I am thinking of Carolina Calema’s or Bambalina Teatre Practicable’s versions), the aesthetics absolutely are, as Teatro Corsario’s puppets are darker, somehow more grotesque and definitely more sexual. One further original aspect is that puppeteers are not on stage, so that Celestina infernal is a marionette-only show.

Until the end of 2021, Celestina infernal will be running in different Spanish and Portuguese cities:

26/08/2021: Ciudad Rodrigo, Sala Tierra 12:30 and 17:30 (Feria de Teatro de Castilla y León)
14/09/2021: Zaragoza, Teatro de las Esquinas, 19:30 (Festival Rayuela)
30/09-03/10/2021: Valladolid, Teatro Calderón, Sala Delibes, 20:00
06/10/2021: Maia, Festival FITC
16/10/2021: Segovia, Teatro Juan Bravo
06/11/2021: Lousada, Festival Folia
20/11/2021: San Sebastián, Teatro Principal
17/12/2021: Ponferrada, Teatro Bergidum
18/12/2021: Toledo, Teatro Fernando de Rojas

More information at the official website.

María Bastianes at the cycle “La Celestina: Representaciones de un clásico” (18/05/2021): “Celestina: un clásico en escena desde España”

I have been very busy these days and have not had the chance to devote a few minutes to the blog, so that I had not linked the recording of María Bastianes’ talk at the conference cycle “La Celestina: Representaciones de un clásico” at the Universidad de Cantabria yet. Here it is for you all to enjoy.

Joseph T. Snow at the cycle “La Celestina: Representaciones de un clásico” (07/05/2021): “Un clásico en escena por el mundo”

Last Friday, 7th of May 2021, Joseph T. Snow inaugurated the conference cycle “La Celestina: Representaciones de un clásico” at the Aulas de Extensión Universitaria of the Universidad de Cantabria (Spain) with a paper entitled “Un clásico en escena por el mundo”, in which he shared with the in-person and virtual audience his knowledge about the stage adaptations of Celestina. His talk was streamed via Youtube and the recorded version is now available for everyone who, like me, missed the date to watch (embedding is disabled for this video, therefore, I give the URL).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_Z9rA16Xko

Remember that the conference cycle continues this week with the paper “Referentes pictóricos del teatro: Celestina y compañía” by Natalia Fernández (Universidad de Sevilla), which will take place at the Paraninfo of the Universidad de Cantabria, Sala Fray Antonio de Guevara, tomorrow, Tuesday 11th of May 2021 at 19:30. More information and bookings here (I do not know if it will be streamed AND recorded, as well).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_Z9rA16Xko

Event: Ciclo La Celestina: Representaciones de un clásico (7th May – 1st June 2021, Aula de Letras – Aulas de Extensión Universitaria, Universidad de Cantabria)

Between Friday, 7th of May, and Tuesday, 1st of June, the conference cycle “La Celestina: representaciones de un clásico” will be taking place at the Universidad de Cantabria as part of the Aula de Letras of its Aulas de Exensión Universitaria.

It is a conference cycle open to everyone, specialists and non-specialists, with a clear focus on the pictorial and the stage adaptations of Celestina. Organised by Laura Mier Pérez (Universidad de Cantabria), sessions will take place via Zoom or on-site, at the campus of the Universidad de Cantabria (Av. de los Castros, s/n; 39005 Santander), depending on the evolution of the COVID-19 measures.

You can see the full programme here, which is formed by the following papers:

7th May 2021, 19:30: “Celestina, un clásico en escena por el mundo” by Joseph Snow (Prof. Em. University of Michingan, author of several studies on Celestina and founder of Celestinesca)
11th May 2021, 19:30: “Referentes pictóricos del teatro: Celestina y compañía” by Natalia Fernández (former Universidad Complutense de Madrid, now Universidad de Sevilla)
18th May 2021:, 19:30 “Celestina: un clásico en escena desde España” by María Bastianes (University of Leeds and author of Vida escénica de “La Celestina” en España: 1909-2019)
25th May 2021, 19:30: “‘Por la mayor parte, por la filosomía es conocida la virtud interior’. La evolución de las representaciones del personaje de Celestina en las ediciones ilustradas de la Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea (ss. XVI-XXI)” by Amaranta Saguar (Universidad Complutense de Madrid and PI of the project “IcoCel: La tradición iconográfica de Celestina: materialidad y recepción de las ediciones ilustradas en la Edad Moderna”)
1st June 2021, 19:30: “La Celestina como provocación” by Emilio de Miguel (Universidad de Salamanca and author of several studies on Celestina)