Official Programme: XXI Festival Celestina (17th-25th August 2019, La Puebla de Montalbán)

The official programme of the XXI Festival Celestina, to take place in La Puebla de Montalbán from the 17th to the 25th of August of 2019, is out. It can be consulted at the festival’s brand new official website, in which tickets can also be bought in advance.

Besides the usual activities (concerts, theatre, performances…), the event of greatest celestinesque interest is the lecture Joseph T. Snow will be giving on Friday the 23rd of August, at 20:30 at the Public Library of La Puebla de Montalbán. There are no details on what he will be talking about, but for sure it will be interesting.

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Official poster: XXI Festival La Celestina (17th-25th August 2019, La Puebla de Montalbán)

The dates for the XXI Festival La Celestina are confirmed: from the 17th to the 25th of August. There is still no programme but I thought this might be of your interest.

Two new recordings: Celestina at the Fundación Juan March and the radio show A les portes de Troia

In a past post, I regretted not being able to attend the talk by Emilio de Miguel Martínez and Julia Gutiérrez Caba that took place the last 7th of May at the Fundación Juan March. I was told it would be recorded and uploaded to the Canal March as soon as possible, but I did not expect that it would be as soon as in just four weeks! The video is accessible in Youtube as well.

Unexpectedly, I found a further recording of celestinesque interest. The radio show A les portes de Troia devoted the programme of the 19th of May to Celestina and its historical context (La Celestina i el seu món). I have not been able to listen to it yet, so that I cannot say anything on its content, but I leave here the recording for you to enjoy it.

Recent stagings of Celestina I feel curious about (II)

More than two months ago, I wrote a post on a few recent stagings of Celestina I have not had the chance to attend and about which I felt curious. This time I am curious about the many stagings of Celestina that are or will be running this month in both Spain and Mexico (and in New York).

In first place, the Celestina of Proscenio Teatro had its premiere the last 30th of March 2019 at Porta 4 (Barcelona), and will be running once a week (on Fridays, at 21:00) until the next 28th of July 2019. Directed by Jone Arteagoitia, I do not know who is responsible for the text adaptation. However, given some photos I was able to find on the internet, I am sure this is the version of Celestina with more leopard print, leather and kitty ears ever. If this alone does not make you feel curious about it, I was informed that it involves music, songs and dance, as well.

On the 25th of May 2019 takes place the last performance of La Celestina (the other one was the last 13th of April) by the theatre company of the Corral de Comedias (Almagro). Antonio de León is the stage director and the adapter, and, if the dossier that completes the play does not lie, he has renounced to magic to portray Celestina as a connoisseur of the human psyche. The trailer shows a much more traditional version than the above mentioned staging by Proscenio Teatro, which fits very well the exceptional setting of the Corral de Comedias of Almagro, the only 17th-century theatre that has survived more or less unchanged until our days.

On the other side of the ocean, in New York, since the 8th of February 2019 it is possible to see another adaptation of Celestina at Repertorio Español, the only theatre in the city pemanently running theatre plays in Spanish and/or with a Spanish background (as far as I know). This time Leyma López is in charge (years ago, René Buch directed a further version for the same venue) and reviews state that the essence of the text has been kept to a great extent, despite the play being reduced to just 100 minutes. You still can buy tickets for the shows on the 10th and the 17th of May 2019.

From tomorrow to the 1st of June 2019, a further version of La Celestina will be running at the Sala Héctor Mendoza (Ciudad de México) by the Mexican Compañía Nacional de Teatro. With four weekly performances (Thursdays and Fridays at 20:00, Saturdays at 19:00 and Sundays at 18:00) and a free entrance, I can imagine it will be a great success. The poster is very likely symbolic of the reading of Rosenda Monteros, in charge of the text adaptation, so that I would expect a version in which Celestina’s skein (and Pluto’s spell) play a central role, as well as the metaphor of entanglement.

Finally, Celestina is one of the main characters of Mucho fuego prometéis, in which the old go-between and don Juan meet in a cabaret in hell, during the Carnival celebrations. Their dialogue is intended as an exhortation against gender-based violence, so that I do not think there will be much of the original text there. In any case, the play will be running from the 16th of April to the 19th of May, with three performances a week (Fridays at 10:00, Saturdays at 19:00 and Sundays at 18:00) at the Teatro Sergio Magaña (Ciudad de México). This means that, for ten days two pieces related to Celestina will be running simultaneously in Ciudad de México. I do not know if this has been made on purpose, to raise expectation, but it serves as a confirmation that this year April and May are quite celestinesque months.

As usual, I would be very grateful if someone could provide me with the text and/or a recording of the above mentioned shows (and, in general, of any performance related to Celestina), with research purposes. Invitations would be most welcomed but, unfortunately, I am not very mobile and I am really busy at the time.

LAST MINUTE! Talk by Emilio de Miguel Martínez and Julia Gutiérrez Caba at Fundación Juan March (TODAY, 19:30)

Some very last minute information: This evening, at 19:30, Emilio de Miguel Martínez (Professor at the Universidad de Salamanca and author, among others, of “La Celestina” de Rojas) and Julia Gutiérrez Caba (actress) will be talking about “Celestina, la secundaria que robó plano” as part of the conferences cycle “Arquetipos teatrales del Siglo de Oro” organised by the Fundación Juan March.

For those not able to attend the conference in person, it will be streamed via Youtube and the streaming service of the Fundación Juan March, Canal March. When the recording is available on-line, I will let you know as well, for thosewho (like me) neither are able to watch the streaming live.

More detailed information at the event’s website.

International Congress AND homage to Folke Gernert, all in one

One year in advance, we have been informed about the topic of the 6th International Congress “Juan Ruiz, Arcipreste de Hita, y el Libro de buen amor“, which will take place, as usual, in Alcalá la Real (Jaén), the 15th and the 16th of May of 2020.

After Joseph T. Snow having been honoured at the 2017 congress, the 2020 edition will pay homage to Folke Gernert and devote the conference to the subject “Mujer, saber y heterodoxia: Libro de buen amor, La Celestina y La Lozana andaluza“. As we all know, this topic covers areas well-studied by Prof. Gernert that we are sure will invite interesting papers by celestinistas and non-celestinistas alike.

Information on the CFP can be found above. Strange as it might seem, this congress is known for only allowing 10-minute presentations, even if the written version can be up to 15 pages (and the conference proceedings are published in record time). Please take this into consideration when submitting your proposals.

New Professional Association: Círculo de Estudios de la Literatura Picaresca y Celestinesca (CELPYC)

Researchers of picaresque and celestinesque literature are welcoming a new professional association these days: the Círculo de Estudios de la Literatura Picaresca y Celestinesca (CELPYC).

Primarily aimed at organising an international congress every three years, its first congress is scheduled for the 3rd, 4th and 5th of June of 2020 at The City College University of New York (CUNY).

Following the official announcement of the congress, the CELPYC has started its on-line presence with a Twitter profile and, more significantly, a Facebook group open to researchers and people with interest in celestinesque and picaresque literature. Its aim is to function as a meeting point for sharing, discussing and disseminating informations of celestinesque and picaresque interest, but also as an informal professional and personal network.

There is a traditional official website as well. Besides information on the congress, the most interesting bit probably is its on-line resources section. Not just because this blog is listed among the resources of celestinesque interest –thanks a lot!–, but because there is a will to gather together all the picaresque and celestinesque on-line resources relevant to a professional and a non-professional audience. And we are really eager to see how many they can get together.

In this blog, it is always good news that something is being done to encourage the study of Celestina, so that we can only wish the CELPYC a sucessful first congress and a good start.