BAÑOS ROMA (ROMAN BATHS)

Teatro Línea de Sombra (TLS) is a Mexican theatre company with an international scope that is dedicated to contemporary creation by bringing together visual language, physical theatre and a strong commitment to the realist of their enviroment. In Baños Roma, we begin with the random and ... account of José Ángel "Mantequilla" Nápoles, past World Champion Boxer. He creates a spectical that tells of the violence that torments the Juárez City and, by extention, all of mexican society.

José Ángel "Mantequilla" Nápoles is a important cultural character in Mexican Culture  towards the end of the 20th Century. This star of boxing has already retired but "Mantequilla" is still a public figure that lives in the imagination of the nation and a hero of the times. He was a world celebrity that has also captured the the attention of other stars and public figures, such as the famous French actor Alain Delon and the Argentinian author Julio Cortázar.

The theatre company, Teatro Línea de Sombra, is interested in this hero of boxing but interested it telling the story from the perspective of the man that he is now because only from the present can we create the past. The presence of "Mantequilla" in Juárez City. reveals the how the the presence of this character from the past with his past glories and from an easily recognisable historical moment. Therefore, he creates to moments simultaneously, the reality and memory, a combination of which could be called "remembered reality".

To create Baños Roma they developed a conection of ceconciliation between society in Juarez and the actual historical moment. The company explored the history that apeared on stage whilst also converting "Mantequilla"`s gym, now abandoned, into the social, sports and cultural centre that it is now. 

'If we are to introduce onto the work bench the substance of this experience, we would have a huge accumulation of found object, the headlines of the press, real and apocryphal stories, images of incomplete memories that are fixed in the mind, iilluminnating findings and others that are impenetrable, masses of images caught in on instant. Don't expect for spectacular things to happen but rather expect a documentary or a portrait of realities, but the incertainty that makes memory a prisoner within memory.' Jorge A. Vargas

TLS want to give their thanks to all of the friends and family of José Ángel "Mantequilla" Nápoles, to the residents of Juarez City, to the World Council of Boxing, to the Ichicult,  to Cleto Reyes, Manuel Iaguna, Fundación Gin, The Cervantino International Festival, Juan Malia and to Bertha Nevarro.


 Creation: Teatro Línea Sombra (TLS), Zuadd Atala, Alejandra Anígona, Jorge León, Alicia Laguna and Malcom Vargas.
Text: Gabriel Contreras, Eduardo Bernal, Jorge Vargas, extracts from Prometeo by Rodrigo García and TLS.
Singer: Jesus Cuevas
Set and Lighting Design: Jusús Hernández
Sound Design and Original Music: Jorge Verdín
Image and Video: Marina España and Malcom Vargas
Musicians: Los Centauros del Olimp
Assistant Director: Fabiola Mata
Graphic Design: Malcom Vargas
Executive Production: Alicia Laguna
Production: María Luisa Montiel
Administration: Patricia Díaz
Production Assistant: Moisés Flores
Concept: Eduardo Bernal, Jorge A. Vargas
Stage Direction: Jorge A. Vargas

Baños Roma is scheduled for the Primer Encoentro Sinergia Escena España-Madrid. A comming together of Asociación Sinergia Esena España Madrid (SEEM) and will be touring various theatres in Madrid between 3 March and 6 April.