The UAB's Aula de Teatre group presents "La sala d'espera"
The play, directed by Ricard Gázquez and performed by the Stable Group of the UAB's Aula de Teatre, will be offered on Monday 29 April at 6 p.m. and on Tuesday 30 April at 1 p.m. aand again at 6 p.m.
This play by Àngel Guimerà, little known as forming part of his works, stands out for its comical treatment of situations and characters. Through a group of eccentric characters from a mountain village who are waiting for the train that will take them to Barcelona, Guimerà weaves a story filled with misunderstandings and comical situations that reflect the complexity of society in that period.
The play uses the contrast between mountain life and city stress to explore some of the author's characteristic themes: highlands and lowlands, the city and the countryside, passionate love, ambition and deceit.
The characters reflect the social and cultural diversity of rural Catalonia, from young people filled with hope for the future, to older people nostalgic for the past. The only scenario, the hall of a train station, becomes a microcosmos where all the characters interact, each of them with their dreams and frustrations.
The play explores the confrontations between different concepts and values, such as the youth's hope for the future versus a longing for the past, as well as passionate encounters between lovers interrupted by the imposal of a marriage of convenience. Moreover, the play touches on issues such as classism, the decay of colonialism, ancestral xenophobina, and the acceptance of traditional gender roles, all with a touch of comedy and no intentional political or social critique.
Ricard Gázquez points out the challenge of adapting this play while respecting its beauty and the sonority of Guimerà's words and presenting something, that although meant to be entertaining, may not be seen as being so harmless today. The decision to characterise the play somewhat grotesquely and offer a recreational and expressive representation reflects the will to connect with the values and opinions of today's society.
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