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Marrano — A tale of the Inquisition

July 25 @ 7:00 pm

A hand holds a rosary and a Magen David, as LaPercha Theatre Company presents a contemporary play exploring a time of fanatical rule and resistance. Press photo courtesy of the Foundry
LaPercha Theatre Company

In the year 1485, the city of Zaragoza was the scene of one of the most visible crimes in its history: while praying in the cathedral, a Dominican monk was beheaded in cold blood by a group of assassins armed with daggers. The monk was left lying in front of the high altar, choking on his own blood as the assassins ran for their hides. The city was shocked — the assassins had just killed Pedro de Arbués, the highest representative of the Holy Inquisition in Aragon.

LaPercha Theatre Company presents a contemporary play at the Foundry, exploring a time of fanatical rule and resistance.

“Our story begins,” the theater says, “by asking us about the identity and reasons of one of the people who assassinated the Supreme Inquisitor: Diego de Sevilla, formerly known as Uriel, the shoemaker’s son.

“A Jew, an ‘infidel,’ a man whose life is turned upside down when religious intolerance and fanaticism snatch away everything he had, forcing him to renounce his faith, his world, and his own family. We invite you to discover the real, simple and small story of a simple and small man who lived firsthand one of the most terrible episodes in our history as a country: the expulsion of the Jews.

“Marrano, a tale of the Inquisition, is an escape show in which we turn to the past to understand the present. We believe that it is a propitious moment to talk about the Marranos, a minority persecuted by the Inquisition, at a time when hate speech against minorities is very frequent.

“Despite reconstructing a distant historical event, Marrano, a tale of The Inquisition is not an exercise in archaeology. With the aim of bringing the classic closer to the 21st century viewer, LaPercha Teatro uses the language of narrator-pamperer, in which the plot flows in a dynamic and captivating way. A piece whose base is the work of gestures and mime, with the presence at all times of the word, music and the theater of objects. Throughout the show, the five actors represent more than twenty characters.

“In order to reconstruct the atmosphere, the spirit and the atmosphere of the Jewish culture at that time, ancient Sephardic melodies and Hebrew prayers are sung and performed. In addition, inspired by the concept of “empty space” by Peter Brook, we reproduce live the sounds of the pampered action: the crackling of the fire, the hammer hitting a nail, the door closing, the wind from the street…”

LaPercha Theatre Company was founded in September 2020, though the seeds of the project were planted during the actor training in Mar Navarro & Andrés Hernández School of Theatre (2018-2020), a school based on the pedagogy of the late Jacques Lecoq, with collective creation as a way of thinking and making theatre. This is where the five members met. Coming from different origins, they decided to remain in Madrid with the idea of bringing together the classical with the contemporary through diverse theatrical languages.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show begins at 7. This show is indoors.

Note from the Foundry: Parking is limited at the venue, so please use the three public parking lots in Town. One is across from the Post Office, one is behind Berkshire Bank and the other is just off Main Street. They are clearly marked. Do not park at Trúc Orient Express Restaurant or the Post Office or you might receive a ticket.

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Event Details

Details

Date:
July 25
Time:
7:00 pm
Event Categories:
, ,

Event Location

The Foundry
2 Harris St.
West Stockbridge, MA
413-232-5222

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