Pedro Calderón de la Barca's most famous work was first performed in 1635, so nearly four centuries have passed since it was written. Despite this, La vida es sueño remains a very contemporary text, perhaps because it raises timeless issues that had no answers at the time and still have none today. What is reality? What is my relationship with the State, my family or myself? Is reality as insubstantial as it appears? Calderón asks this question through the protagonist, Segismundo, who narrates the story of a king's son imprisoned by his father and shut up in a dark dungeon because of a prophecy that says he will be an unjust and tyrannical monarch. When he is released, he will be made to believe that the reality he sees is nothing more than a dream to observe his behaviour and return him to his cell if necessary. The plot raises disturbing questions about reality and our relationship with it, questions that were as relevant yesterday as they are today and that affect not only intellectuals but all of Humanity. A prince in chains, a woman pretending to be a man in search of revenge, love, revolt... Director Declan Donnellan and set designer Nick Ormerod, co-artistic directors of the English company Cheek by Jowl, bring their vision of the world of the stage to a classic of Spanish literature that they collaborated on with the National Classical Theatre Company directed by Lluís Homar.
The production consolidates the relationship between Cheek by Jowl and Spanish theatre, which began in 1989 with the production of Fuenteovejuna at the National Theatre in London. Now, Cheek by Jowl returns to the Golden Age with the first production in Spanish, directed by Declan Donnellan and designed by Nick Ormerod. We saw the company perform William Shakespeare's Measure for Measure at the Grec in 1994 and Alfred Jarry's Ubu Rey at the Grec in 2014. Last year at the Grec, we saw the National Classical Theatre Company perform El burlador de Sevilla, directed by Xavier Albert.
A Compañía Nacional de Teatro Clásico, Cheek by Jowl and LAZONA co-production.
With the collaboration of Barbican (London) and Scène Nationale d’Albi (France).
At the representation of this show on July 10 (10 pm), there will be an audio-description and accompaniment service.
Adaptation: Declan Donnellan, Nick Ormerod. Director: Declan Donnellan. Set and costume design: Nick Ormerod. Performance: Ernesto Arias, Prince Ezeanyim, David Luque, Rebeca Matellán, Manuel Moya, Alfredo Noval, Goizalde Núñez, Antonio Prieto, Irene Serrano. Lighting design: Ganecha Gil. Sound design and composition: Fernando Epelde. Dramaturgy consultant: Pedro Villora. Movement: Amaya Galeote. Assistant director: Josete Corral. Stage design assistant: Alessio Meloni. Costume design assistant: Elena Colmenar. Sound assistant: Gastón Horischnik. Lighting assistant: Javier Hernández. Performance: Juan Ollero. Graphic design and photography: Javier Naval. Technical direction: Oscar Sainz. Staging: Alex Stanciu. Machinist: Sira González. Executive production and management: Elisa Fernández. Production assistant: Jair Souza-Ferreira. Production management: Miguel Cuerdo. Communication and distribution: Julio Municio. Executive Director Cheek by Jowl: Niamh O´Flaherty General Manager Cheek by Jowl: Harrison Collett Administration and direction assitance Cheek by Jowl: Harry McDonald
