The Castilla-La Mancha Regional Amateur Theater Festival kicks off in Villanueva de los Infantes with “Pasión por Carmen”

On Saturday, September 12, the Tomelloso-based company Carpe Diem Teatro brought their revision of Prosper Mérimée’s ‘Carmen’ to the stage of the ‘La Encarnación’ Municipal Auditorium in Villanueva de los Infantes. A performance that also marked the beginning of the Muestra Regional de Teatro Aficionado de Castilla-La Mancha.

This festival, which celebrates its VII edition this autumn, showcases the scenic talent of amateur groups from the region. Organized by the Federación de Grupos Aficionados de Teatro de Castilla-La Mancha, it is sponsored by the Junta de Comunidades and supported by the various town councils and local entities that will host the performances. Throughout the months of September, October, and November, the festival will tour numerous municipalities in the provinces of Ciudad Real, Toledo, Cuenca, and Albacete.

‘Pasión por Carmen’ recovers elements from Mérimée’s original novel that are not present in adaptations such as the famous opera by Georges Bizet. The adaptation is signed by Miguel Ángel Berlanga, who is also responsible for the direction, set design, and musical selection. The stage proposal invokes the soul of Andalusia with brotherhood sounds, flamenco, the contrast between religion and superstition, and, as it could not be otherwise, the world of bullfighting. The Andalusian universe is presented as both a refuge and a prison for the characters. The indomitable Carmen is reinterpreted as both queen and victim, embodying the passion that defies norms and the price of not renouncing one's own identity.

A month of theatre in Villanueva de los Infantes

‘Pasión por Carmen’ inaugurated a month of September in which theatre will take center stage in Villanueva de los Infantes. After hosting the start of the Muestra Regional de Teatro Aficionado de Castilla-La Mancha, the municipality will also be the venue for the Muestra Provincial de Teatro, which will take place on September 24, 25, and 26 in various performance spaces in the town. The program includes storytelling, monologues, and the performance of ‘El juego de Gilmour’ by Bakú Teatro.

Likewise, the local company Bojiganga Teatro once again staged their production ‘Elogio dramático a Santo Tomás’, an adaptation of a 17th-century auto sacramental by local playwright Juan de Cueto y Mena.