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Teatro Abanico
is booted from the Gables and goes out with a bang
BY MIA LEONIN
| It's fitting that the final play
of Teatro Abanico's 2002-2003 season is about
endings. El Celador del Desierto (The Guardian
of the Desert), an original work by Cuban composer
and writer Ernesto Garcia, is a meditation about
what can happen to man when he loses everything.
In a world that has been destroyed by greed and
insensitivity, only a few survive. They are then
responsible for transmitting the history, knowledge,
and wisdom of civilization to future generations.
This philosophical drama tells the story of these
wise men, their predecesors, and their inevitable
destinies. The play ends the company's residency
at its Coral Gables performance space. Actress
and producer Lili Renteria deems the transition
"bad news which will ultimately bring good
things." |
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The owners of the current space refuse
to provide Abanico with anything more than a month-by-month
contract, so the company directors have decided to
move out. Renteria is looking for more stable digs.
"To have any kind of continuity a company needs
to own its space," she explains, adding she plans
on creating an arts-based charter school that can
double as a permanent home for Abanico.
Meanwhile the show will go on. Garcia's
Spanish-language work is the most experimental of
Abanico's productions. "El Celador del Desierto
is an homage to theater and its most fundamental components
-- the performer and the text. It is minimalist in
production values, but rich in content," says
Renteria. "We want to push audiences who might
come for high comedy or drama to also acquire a taste
for something more experimental."
El Celador began as a rock opera,
then became a screenplay. When Garcia realized he
didn't have the resources to produce a film, he transformed
the script into a play. "Like all artists, Garcia
has learned the skill of survival," Renteria
says. "If you have the color blue, you don't
say, 'Let's do a painting in red and yellow.'"
Despite sellout crowds and critical acclaim, the company
may not have a place to perform next season.
El Celador del Desierto
Details: Runs through Sunday, July 13. Evening performances
Saturday and Sunday at 8:30, matinee Sunday at 5:00.
Tickets are $25 - $15 . Call 305-448-1100.
Where: Teatro Abanico, 22 Giralda Ave, Coral Gables,
FL
Fuente:
New Times
Julio - 2003
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