Students breathe new life into this classic Spanish play.
In their surrealist adaptation of the classic play La vida es sueño, director Peter Fabridge and his cast of student actors from the theatre department at Concordia University tackle heavy themes of violence, corruption, destiny, and reality.
The show was produced as part of one of Concordia’s Theater Department’s Public Performance Projects, where students are given the opportunity to work together to create a unique production. The show ran from Nov. 13 to Nov. 16 in the JMSB building.
Fabridge’s adaptation of La vida es sueño deconstructs the structure of the original play while staying true to its core themes and characters. The result is a deep dive into the characters’ minds, creating a narrative where it is often unclear for both characters and the audience what is a dream and what is reality.
Coloured lights, music, shadows, and video projections added to the uncanny surrealism used to tell the story.
Nadia Agrebi, the lighting and costume designer, said the entire process of adapting the original work was an example of devised theatre, meaning that it was a collaboration between the director, cast, and crew to create the final product.
“In conventional theatre, everyone has their own specific roles, but in a devised piece we talk about what it means altogether,” Agrebi said. “It was less of a hierarchy and more of a commutative process.”
The original La vida es sueño, which translates to “life is a dream,” is one of the most famous Spanish plays. Originally published in 1636 by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, it speaks to the cycles of violence and the distortion of reality.
These are themes that Amelia Campbell-Reidhead, actor and choreographer, believes are still relevant today.
“The piece itself, La vida es sueño, is very political and it has such an important thing to say about the circle of violence and how raising someone up will always put someone else down,” said Campbell-Reidhead.
Work on the play began back in May, with Sophie Grenier and Jess Teionshontahthe Beauvais working as dramaturges to research the context of the original play to prepare for its adaptation. Adapting the play came with challenges, like finding a way to remain faithful to the original text while tackling heavy topics like sexual assault.
To do this, the team chose to delve deeper into the inner psyche of Rosaura, a character who is sexually assaulted in the play, to ground her as a person and not just as a victim.
“One way we could do that is by making a multiplicity of that character and having that moment where she is able to face these different emotions, the different aspects and identities,” said Beauvais.
This allows the audience to look into the mind of Rosaura, as she splits into five different aspects of herself and she tries to reclaim her honour.
Beauvais said a crucial tool for navigating these sensitive subjects was their ethical tapestry. Overseen by Campbell-Reidhead, the ethical tapestry is a record of the conversations had between the actors about these sensitive subjects.
“Most of the conversations are just questions, most don’t have a clear answer, but it helps to get the work flowing and break up any conflicts,” said Campbell-Reidhead.
When it comes to modernizing any historical texts, artists are bound to run into difficult conversations. However, Beauvais and Agrebi agree that they were able to put together impactful and respectful adaptations thanks to the open and safe conversations that were intentionally facilitated.
“I just really trust these people so it was easy to talk about this serious stuff and then hang out after,” said Agrebi.
