Scuffles, love scenes, comedy, and poetry to rival Shakespeare!
This Golden Age drama explores tyranny, fate, and free will.
GALA presents a new adaptation by Nando López of Life is a Dream by Pedro Calderón de la Barca. Directed by GALA’s Producing Director, Hugo Medrano, the production is performed in Spanish with English surtitles from September 12 through October 13, 2019.
Its adaptation at the GALA Hispanic Theatre is both a labor of love and an effort to uphold and extend a cultural treasure. The Ambassador of Spain was among the audience on opening night in Columbia Heights, where the audience embraced the performances of the ensemble, some of whom are established TV stars in Spain.
Set in Poland in the 17th century when its influence and power in Europe had waned, Life is a Dream explores tyranny, fate, and free will. Weaving together the stories of Segismundo, who was imprisoned at birth by his father King Basilio to prevent the fulfillment of a prophecy, and Rosaura, who acts to restore her honor and control her destiny, this famous Spanish Golden Age drama addresses the universal question: “Who is the master of one’s fate?”
“The questions with which Calderón grappled,” states Mr. López, who adapted the play, “are as pertinent today as they were in the time the play was written. To what degree is our identity shaped by the environment in which we live and the world we inhabit? Do we choose who we are or are we merely marionettes in the hands of a higher power? Are we, like Segismundo, imprisoned in our own towers?” “Calderón,” adds Mr. Medrano, “challenges us to find the chains that bind us so that we can finally break free.”
Featured in the cast are Daniel Alonso de Santos as Segismundo; Mel Rocher as Clotaldo; Soraya Padrao as Rosaura; Delbis Cardona as Clarin); Peter Pereyra as Astolfo; Catherine Nunez as Estrella; Camilo Linares as a Soldier; Timothy Andrés Pabón as Basilio; and Leo Delgado as a Soldier.
PERFORMANCES & TICKETS:
Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm.
Regular tickets are $45 on Thursday and Friday evenings, and $48 on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Senior tickets (65+), Student and Military tickets are $30. Groups (10+) are $30.
Click here for more information or to purchase tickets.
This production is made possible with generous support from the Embassy of Spain in Washington, DC, SPAIN arts & culture, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
