Siglo Latinx grew largely from our passion for theatre and our admiration for many Latinx creators whose work we had the opportunity to witness and write about. Over the last ten years, many of these scholarship projects have evolved into creative and academic collaborations. We have hosted performances on our campuses, traveled with students to meet and interview artists in person, and served as translators and dramaturges, among other roles.
In this session, you will be able to read about some of these collaborations.
Jan/Feb 2024: The Divine Narcissus/Adaptation
In January 2024, the Siglo Latinx met with Mariano Ruiz, Olivia Barrera, and Ramón Márquez in a series of classes and workshops where our research assistants had the opportunity to exchange ideas on literary and artistic analysis of the play El Divino Narciso. The goal was to understand the harmony of the characters and find different ways to stage them for a contemporary audience. Queer elements and inclusive language were a primary requirement when creating and rethinking the aesthetics of the story. During the last session, everyone had the opportunity to visually show the concept of the play and ideas that Mariano would consider when rewriting the play. This collaboration, which continued until February and then resumed in June for the reading of the first draft of their adaptation, was an excellent opportunity for everyone to connect with Mexican artists and learn about their ways of staging golden-age plays.
This play will premiere in October in commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Oct/Nov 2023: Teatro Círculo- Last week of rehearsals for La monja alférez (The Lieutenant Nun)
On October 29th, 2023, our research assistant, Natalia Soracipa, traveled to New York with our interns Elizabeth and Madison to present the pre-premiere rehearsals of La Monja Alferez. For a week, under the mentorship of Israel Franco, the production director, they learned about lighting management in the theater and costume design. In addition, they interviewed the actors and creators of this production, which was documented on our social media platforms. This trip "was a great opportunity for these students to nurture their perspectives and own research," as they mention in their testimonies.
Nov 2023: Teatro Novo Hispano Conference (New York City)
Hosted by Teatro Círculo
Erin Cowling and Glenda Y. Nieto-Cuebas, along with Teatro Círculo's co-founders José Cheo Oliveras and Eva Cristina Vázquez, co-organized the 2023 Teatro Novo Hispano Conference.
In celebration of their 30th anniversary, Teatro Círculo - in New York City - hosted a one-day conference with Professor Germán Vega García-Luengos (University of Valladolid, Spain) as the keynote speaker. His recent research reattributed the play La monja Alférez to the 17th-century Mexican playwright Juan Ruiz de Alarcón. Fourteen Golden Age scholars from the United States, Canada, Spain, Chile, and Puerto Rico presented their research on Teatro Novo Hispano—plays written in or about the Americas during the 17th century.
Picture cortesy of Teatro Círculo and Israel Franco Muller.
Oct/Nov 2023: EFE TRES Teatro/AITENSO (Mexico) Pre-production meetings & Conference
In October 2023, PI Erin Cowling spent a week in Mexico City with the members of EFE Tres Teatro and their latest collaborator, Paola Izquierdo while they discussed their upcoming adaptation of La firmeza en la ausencia by Leonor de la Cueva.
Joined by collaborator Glenda Nieto en Puebla, México for the second week, we all participated in AITENSO's conference "Variaciones sobre la muerte en el teatro del Siglo de Oro." We met up with colleagues and friends and witnessed the festivities of el día de los muertos first hand, an unforgettable experience!
August 2023: Teatro Círculo / First week of rehearsals for La monja alférez (The Lieutenant Nun)
In August 2023, PI Erin Cowling spent the week in New York City to observe and document the first week of rehearsals of La monja alférez by Teatro Círculo. Among the highlights were the explanation of the lighting and set design by Israel Franco Müller, seeing scenes move from read-thru to blocking, getting a sneak peak at costuming and make-up during the company's first photo session, & hearing how the director Daniel Alonso de Santos and the company's verse coach Karmele Aranburu help the performers find their character's voice.
¡Muchísimas gracias a todos los miembros de la compañía por su colaboración y la acogedora bienvenida a su sede en NYC!
Image credit: All images on this page by Erin Cowling and/or Glenda Nieto Cuebas