By Maria Elena Bayon Mayor
The premiere of the documentary Altarpiece of the sun and moonwritten and directed by Isabel Cristina López Hamze and Jorge Ricardo, in the Pepe Camejo room, opened the audiovisual curtain to a world of love and fantasy, created between puppets, actors and artists, the distinctive mission of Teatro de las Estaciones.
The motivation for creating a second, more contemporary proposal was the group’s 30th anniversary, according to the National Theatre Award winner, Rubén Darío Salazar Taquechel, and it was a demonstration of the “vibrant imprint” of Estaciones.
To the documentary Altarpiece of the sun and moon It is adorned by his post-avant-garde vision of the history of this wonderful collective, where the subjective conception stands out, in the breakdown of the intimate events of each member and the use of technical advances in editing.
Its content shows the evolution of Estaciones, within its emblematic aesthetic seal, the internalization of the assembly of each piece, the incorporation of new figures and the insertion of the arts as a whole; music, singing, dance, with a well-deserved emphasis on the work of designer Zenén Calero, National Theatre Award winner, and his artistic team. Also important are the criteria of playwrights, critics and personalities from the scenic universe, inserted in the material.
In her address to the audience, Director López Hamze said:
During the creative process, we thought very carefully about which fragment of the work we were going to put on, at what time, what music would accompany it, the order of the interviewees, in order to assess their personal thoughts and motivations in a complex task. In truth, we are satisfied with the effect created.
It was a team effort, which required figures from the cinema, but above all, from theatre people, whose support was unconditional and selfless, in that common feeling of working hard and with heart, with full love, to bring forward what is truly valuable in this event.
At the event, the first documentary dedicated to the group, entitled “The Last of Us” was presented as a retro tribute. Theatre of the Seasons: images of a decadeby journalist Ana Valdés Portillo, produced in 2004. With the visual technique of that time and bearing a convenient dramatic and informative structure combined with the effective use of infographics, the work allows us to appropriate the emotions that emerged during those initial years and, at the same time, to demonstrate the professional progress of the repertoire exhibited.
It also stands out for its high heritage value, when it incorporates the testimony of the founders and of personalities such as Dora Alonso, Carucha Camejo and Luz Marina Zambrano, plus others who took flight towards new projects.
Two epochal testimonies of the ingenious performance of Teatro de Las Estaciones, which enrich the history of this distinguished group of national culture.
Photo and text taken from the author’s Facebook profile
