THE GREAT THEATRE OF THE WORLD

Pedro Calderón de la Barca wrote this one-act religious play, first staged during the Corpus Christi celebrations in Valencia, in 1641, though it is thought that it was written a decade earlier.  The Great Theatre of the World [El gran teatro del mundo] describes life as a stage, imagining the world as if it were a great theatre, and conveying the idea that only in death can we experience true life.  Each character in this great comedy is an actor, and once the play is over, he will receive a reward of a punishment, depending on whether they have been good or bad.   Here Carlos Saura, known around the world for his work as a film director and photographer, is making his first incursion in the world of dramatic theatre.  To do so he has created a piece where Calderón himself is depicted directing his play, with a company of actors that must work diligently to make clear the complexity that today's viewer will see in this one-act religious play from the 17th century.  Using the brilliant structure of this piece by Calderón to his advantage, Saura has created a theatre prouction within a theatre production, playing with the past and the present and upholding the beauty of the text.  To do so he has chosen a cast of eminent figures on the theatre scene who are popular as well, such as Antonio Gil, Eulalia Ramón, José Luis García Pérez, Fele Martínez, Ruth Gabriel, Adriana Ugarte and Emilio Buale, Manuel Morón, and more, with eleven actors presenting this tremendously choral piece.

A TEATRO ESPAÑOL PRODUCTION