Theatre of Death

Theatre of Death is characterized by three elements: it’s brief, it has a surprise, and it’s “sensational” theatre. In other words, the play shouldn’t exceed 30 minutes, it should have a twist near the end, and it’s not didactic or philosophical, its main goal is to cause a “sensation” or “reaction” in the audience. This collection of plays date from the 1400’s to the present day, and they all share something in common: death. Besides experiencing what amounts to a crash course of the history of Spanish theatre in one night, you’ll find that death as a subject matter has been seen in many different ways over the last seven centuries: comical, sad, frightening, etc.

The plays presented this year are:

Coplas for the Death of my Father, by Jorge Manrique, 1476, Spain, translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

13th Floor, by Alejandro de la Costa, 2005, Mexico. World Premier.

The Devil Always Lies, by Mark-Brian Sonna, 2005 US, based on “The Possessed Alguacil” by Francisco Quevedo (1607,
Spain) and “The Anthropophagite” by Pablo Palacio (1927, Ecuador). World premier.

HORROR, TERROR AND FUROR!!! Or Victims in Bulk, by Manuel Arboledas, 1904, Spain, translated by Mark-Brian Sonna.

Scene of the Lieutenant Colonel Guard, by Federico García Lorca, 1921, Spain, original music by Mark-Brian Sonna, lyricis by Federico García Lorca, translated by Mark-Brian Sonna.

Moriana’s Poison, Anonymus, 15th Century, Spain, translated
by Mark-Brian Sonna.

Ixtaccíhuatl y Popocatepetl, by Mark-Brian Sonna, 2005, US translated by the author. World Premier.

There will be a special Halloween Performance on Monday, October 31st at 8:15 pm