Noticias
As part of the English playwright and poet´s 400th death anniversary
William Shakespeare´s legacy will be remembered with activities organized by the Department of Culture
April 11, 2016William Shakespeare, who is considered one of the best playwrights of world literature, will be remembered 400 years after his death (April 23, 1616) with a series of artistic and academic activities organized by the Department of Culture of the federal government, in which cultural institutions will participate.
Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK. At present almost all his works are still performed because he is recognized the great ability he had to portray the human condition with its virtues, miseries, ambiguities and contradictions.
The program to remember and reflect on William Shakespeare begins in April when the Centro Cultural Helénico (Greek Cultural Centre) and the National Arts Centre (Cenart, for its contraction in Spanish), will present De sabios, sueños y locos (Wise, dreams and crazy). Homage season to Shakespeare and Cervantes, 400 years, which includes a program of three plays: Fuck Lear, Mendoza and Twelfth Night
Also, the concert El cisne y el hidalgo. Dos gallardos del ingenio, (The swan and the nobleman. Two ingenious gallants) will be offered with Armonicus Cuatro, a vocal polyphony ensemble; three academic workshops and three master classes taught by specialists in the field, from UK. These activities will take place from April 23rd to December.
On its behalf, the Library of Mexico will offer a film series with activities related to Shakespeare’s work and life, which will be held during April and May, while in August it will offer a bibliographic exhibition and the play, El cuerpo de Mercutio (The body of Mercutio), a tragedy inspired in Romeo and Juliet.
On April 23rd, the day of the anniversary, the General Directorate of Publications (DGP, for its acronym in Spanish) in collaboration with the National Institute of Fine Arts (INBA, for its acronym in Spanish), will present on the esplanade of the Palace of Fine Arts, Historias para Shakespeare (Stories for Shakespeare), a show by the group, Impro Top, where stories will be created instantly, based on the works, Sueño de una noche de verano (A Midsummer night's Dream) and Romeo and Juliet, as well as Reinterpretando a Shakespeare (Reinterpreting Shakespeare), a parade in which the Hot Brothers group presents its own version, the rhythm of dixieland, from musical pieces inspired in the English writer’s works like Romeo and Juliet, by Sergei Prokofiev, a Midsummer night's Dream by Felix Mendelssohn or The Tempest by Henry Purcell.
That same day, but in the Faro de Oriente, the public can enjoy Tres historias de Shakespeare (Three stories of Shakespeare), a musical troupe for children by La Quinta Teatro, a group that will present Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night and King Lear, through the kamishibai (riding a bicycle), popular way of telling stories, originally from Japan, with the support of funny illustrations and texts.
Also on April 23rd, various activities for children will be organized by the Centro Cultural Elena Garro, Educal and DGP (General Directorate for Publications). Gisel Casas and Carlos Bretón will make the musical storytelling, Shakespeare for children, and the creators Ana Paula Ojeda and Juan Palomino will offer the Illustrating Shakespeare workshop, which will approach the children to the English author’s stories through the image.
Also, the Literary Tournament Cervantes vs Shakespeare (Don Quixote and Sancho vs Prospero and Ariel) will be organized, a friendly duel musical dialogue, starring actors who will play these recognized characters. This activity will be repeated on April 24th.
The General Directorate of Publications (DGP, for its acronym in Spanish), in coordination with the Department of Culture of Mexico City, will close the celebrations of April 23rd in the Panteón of San Fernando, one of the oldest cemeteries in the capital, which will host overnight, an entertaining and playful dialogue between Elena Garro, Juan Rulfo, Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare, who will appear among the tombs through a group of characterized storytellers: Marcela Romero, Jermán Argueta, Apolonio Mondragón and Guillermo Henry.
Also, on April 23rd the Economic Culture Fund will have author’s works on display and sell, in addition to reprint the book, The Wheel of Fire: Interpretations of Shakespearian Tragedy by George Wilson Knight.
The National Sound Archive will dedicate its audio of the day to this author, the podcast production and publishing (April 4th to 10th), as well as the concert from the Programa de Creación Sonora: Re-listening to Shakespeare, on October 24th. Radio Educación will transmit music of Shakespeare’s time and Channel 22 will share through their social networks interesting facts about his life and work.
The General Directorate of Libraries will publish William Shakespeare’s book reviews in the Club virtual de lectura (Virtual Reading Club) and articles about the author in the journal, El Bibliotecario. Also, a commemorative poster will be printed for distribution in the buildings that comprise the National Network of Public Libraries.
On April 23rd, in the framework of World Book and Copyright Day, there will be readings about William Shakespeare’s work and bibliographic exhibitions with his most representative works, in public libraries of the National Network.
From June 9th to July 1st, the National Arts Centre (Cenart, for its acronym in Spanish) will present the play, El rey Juan (King John), adapted and directed by Abril Mayett; and from August 12th to 28th , El cuerpo de Mercutio (The body of Mercutio), adapted and directed by Juan Cabello.
Between June and September, the National Institute of Fine Arts (INBA, for its acronym in Spanish) will join the events and activities #ShakespeareLives global program, in collaboration with the British Council Mexico. The National Coordination of Theater will present the season with two plays at the Teatro Julio Castillo: Ricardo III (Richard III) and Medida por Medida (Measure for Measure), both productions directed by Mauricio García Lozano.
Also, the National Theatre Company, through the same program #ShakespeareLives, will present a season of the play, Henry IV’s Part One, directed by Hugo Arrevillaga.
In October, the General Directorate of Publications will organize at the National Arts Center (Cenart, for its acronym in Spanish) the lecture series Shakespeare and Cervantes: Constants of the human condition, where writers, playwrights, film critics and journalists, among others, will discuss how both authors captured, like no others, the human nature and its archetypes : Shakespeare’s different interpretations; Shakespeare adapted to children, theater and film; Love and violence in Shakespeare; The question of power in Shakespeare; The gender issue in Shakespeare and Cervantes, and Shakespeare before the cosmos.
Mexico,Distrito Federal
