Spanish language resonates in a Chicagoan theater

LORCA, Living the Experience is the name of the theatrical production created by the Water People Theater Company to pay homage to the iconic Spanish playwright and poet Federico García Lorca.

This production premiered on Wednesday, May 25 at the Cervantes Institute in Chicago and restarted in-person performances, which had been suspended for more than two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Courtesy photo - Water People Theater

The show had the wisdom to blend theater with music and audiovisual elements, all neatly woven together by the subtle but precise direction of Iraida Tapias.

It is not a minor merit to have chosen Lorca as the guiding thread for a show in Spanish, since we are talking about one of the most representative pens of the Spanish language, a referential one in the whole world. And we are talking about perhaps the most passionate author of the Cervantine language.

Lorca's voice in Illinois

If any virtue can be highlighted in the writing of this artist born and murdered in the Spaniard region of Granada, it is the breadth of his vision of the feminine. This was the compass for the creation of the show, which takes us vertiginously through the most representative women of Lorca's imaginary.

The unforgettable characters of La zapatera prodigiosa, Doña Rosita la soltera, Mariana Pineda, Yerma, La casa de Bernarda Alba and Bodas de sangre are present.

For those experiencing their first approach to García Lorca, the incorporation on stage of the music that surrounds his universe is a plus. Undoubtedly, its rhythm and melody are invaluable contributions to an emotional understanding of his work.

The recreation of the flamenco songs composed by Lorca achieves a thrilling atmosphere obtained with just guitar, piano and voice.

The climax of Lorca's passion is reached by the haunting performances of Rebeca Alemán as the tormented Yerma, the archetype of the sterile woman, who mercilessly digs into the delirium of her own empty and useless womb, while a group of washerwomen mock her in a river magically created with fabrics.

Courtesy photo - Water People Theater

The same actress presents us with a Mariana Pineda breaking down the horror she feels at the imminence of her own death, since her own life is the price for daring to dream of freedom. Furthermore, Rebeca also accompanies the musical segments on piano.

The video intervention of actress Carlota Sosa as a terrifying Bernarda Alba projected over her daughters, who watch her from the stage, without daring to reply, deserves a distinct mention.

Sosa embodies the archetype of authoritarianism, framed in an absolutely black costume and atmosphere. Her soaring image and thunderous voice are the credible threat against any of the girls who step out of the castrating fold.

Courtesy photo - Water People Theater

"I was born with my eyes open. Now I will watch without closing them until I die," threatens the terrible Hispanic matron, in an image worthy of Big Brother in the Orwellian novel 1984, or even that floating head that represented the dreadful Wizard of Oz in the 1939 film classic.

Beyond his prolific and brilliant creations, Lorca's life and death are themselves borderline dramas. At the dawn of the Spanish Civil War, he began to be targeted by the conservative press, being accused of blasphemy and homosexuality.

He never joined a political group and kept friends on all sides. He claimed to feel "entirely Spanish, but before that a man of the world and brother to all". However, he was arrested and shot in August 1936, at the age of 38.

Water People and Instituto Cervantes

Water People Theater is a bilingual Latino non-profit organization dedicated to the development of the performing arts and theater. Its mission is to attract new and diverse talent to create high quality theater that inspires a diverse audience to seek change and contribute to equity, justice, respect and integration of all cultures.

The name, Gente del Agua, comes from the Venezuelan indigenous group Yekuana. It means people of the river who open paths in the water.

Water People Theater, according to its creator Rebeca Alemán, "Believes in the power of theater to bring people together and inspire action, foster understanding and facilitate harmony among diverse communities."

They are celebrating 20 years of existence with LORCA, Living the Experience. In these two decades they have premiered 37 plays in 21 seasons, have produced 5 short films in defense of Human Rights, 10 peace campaigns and 12 participations in international theater and film festivals.

They have won 2 ACE Awards in New York City, 1 ALTA Award in Chicago and have been seen by more than 117 thousand spectators.

In 18 months of pandemic, they created the online programming of the Water People Theater. On their virtual stage, they presented 47 live online plays. More than 260 Latino professionals located in Chicago and other cities around the world participated. More than 9,000 spectators from the United States and around the world attended their virtual theater.

Instituto Cervantes is a non-profit organization founded by the Government of Spain in 1991. Its mission is to promote the teaching of Spanish and the co-official languages of Spain, as well as to foster knowledge of the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries around the world.

It is present in more than 70 cities in 40 countries. It is the Spanish equivalent of the world-renowned Alliance Française and British Council. Water People Theater is the resident theater group of the Instituto Cervantes of Chicago.