The Rolling Theater of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus (UPRRP), announced the staging of its most recent production, “Los Ciegos”, a profound drama that exposes the fears and uncertainty caused by abandonment, in an environment marked by languor and existential weakness.
The play will be presented at the Julia de Burgos theater of the UPRRP from October 15 to 25, 2024.
“The Blind”, written by Belgian author Maurice Maeterlinck and winner of the Nobel Prize in 1911, takes place in a dark and inhospitable northern forest, where a group of twelve helpless blind men await the return of their guide, a priest. The blind, unaware of how much time has passed, where they are and what happened to their guide, try to understand their situation under paralyzing anguish and uncertainty. At moments, the blind seem to sense something that was not with them before and now surrounds them, watches them, stalks them. The dialogue between the characters reveals their different fears, anxieties and expectations about the future, all wrapped in an atmosphere of desperation, vulnerability and terror.
“By staging this piece we intend to sensitize the hearts of the public since it invites them to raise awareness about abandonment, mainly of our older adults. It will be an enriching theatrical experience as it explores themes such as existentialism and human vulnerability,” said the director, Dr. Israel Franco-Müller, in a press release, adding that the students of the Drama Department have been subjected to an intense process of rehearsals over the past eight months, including mentoring blind people.
The work also incorporates elements of the traditional Japanese Butōh dance, under the direction of Yan Christian Collazo, giving the piece a unique and deeply introspective aesthetic.
The cast is made up of the talented students Daylene Olivo Martínez, Paola Tirado Cardona, Valerie Green Almonte, Fabiola Isabel González Ramos, Melvin Acosta Andújar, Yiandra Torres Rivera, Adriana Cabanelas, Camila Rodríguez, Eduardo Sánchez Navarro, Alysha Mercado, Lara Ortiz Irrizary, Lucca Rodríguez and Yan Christian Collazo.
The technical sheet includes Professor Miguel Vando (costume designer), Atabeira Soto Cortés (assistant director and councilor), Tayra Martínez Matías (production assistant and videographer), Leonardo López Pantiga (graphic artist and documentary filmmaker), Rafael González Pérez ( photographer) and Julio Ferrao Coreano (production assistant).
Additionally, the UPR Rolling Theater has been invited to present “The Blind” in New York City in February 2025, marking an important moment in its history.
“Los Ciegos” will be presented at the Julia de Burgos theater of the UPRRP, from October 15 to 25, at 8:00 pm and there will be a special performance on October 20 at 5:00 pm.
Tickets are available at the theater entrance on performance days. For more information, call 787-222-5933 or on Instagram @losciegos
