TEATREJOVE’S HISTORY
1.-THEATRE BY YOUNG ACTORS
‘TEATREJOVE’, the Group founded by FUNDACIÓN SHAKESPEARE OF SPAIN (FSE)
back in 1985/6, reemerges in Madrid with the show “Hoy se ensaya Hamlet” (Hamlet will be rehearsed tonight) Manuel Ángel Conejero, Chairman of
Fundación Shakespeare, is the one who gives a boost to this new Project with
the kind support of the British Council of Spain. The Group, born in Valencia,
is almost 25 years old and Prof.
Conejero himself formed it, becoming allies of
THE NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE OF GREAT BRITAIN. ‘TEATREJOVE’ (or YOUTH
COMPANY of FUNDACIÓN SHAKESPEARE) still wills to be a place for Theory and
Theatrical praxis for youngsters, including in this programme candidates from
all backgrounds at the permanent Workshops of Actor Training. In these
Workshops, the main goal is the training driven to improve the CRAFT OF THE
ACTOR.
2.-PROFESSIONAL VENTURES FROM FSE AND ‘TEATREJOVE’
Alongside this project, which enhances its
effectiveness in a systematic way, another project of staging productions
emerged, somehow more ambitious. The aim was seeking a way to integrate the
draft of TEATREjove and the one of FSE into
the great profession, so that both the work
performed by young candidates and the texts translated by the Team of
Translators of FSE itself, had the possibility of connecting with theatrical
reality, with the well-known world known as "the profession". It was the case of “Macbeth” (1980) at the Rialto
Theater and the Teatro Español in Madrid, as well as “El Rey Lear” (“King Lear”
(1982), both directed by Miguel Narros, with a cast which included Fermi Reixach and Pep Munne, Juan Gea, Lluís
El Sifoner, Empar Ferrer, relying on
the “big size theatre”... Sometimes,
however, without leaving the idea of a show to which the public is used to, it was
decided to include the most experienced formers of ‘TEATREjove’, the recent graduates: “As You Like It”, was a
good example directed by Pierre Constant in 1986, including actors, today leading
roles on many regional and national shows, e.g. the examples of CARLES
SANJAIME, JAIME PUJOL AND CARMEN DEL VALLE. We must also mention “Romeo and
Juliet” (1987), directed by Edward Wilson, at the Olympia Theatre in Valencia,
which was shown not only in our city but also travelled to London, in a trip
that also undertook “Macbeth” –this one headed by Edward Wilson with ‘TEATREjove’, which also was performed in Valencia and Almagro
in 1990.
Other plays which are worth mentioning are: “The Tempest” directed by Edward Sanderson (1990) and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (1996), a project of professional actors directed by Mario Gas. And another big project: “King Lear” (1997), directed again by Miguel Narros and “Three Noble Friends”, written by Conejero and led by Rafael Cruz and Conejero himself (1997).
It can be stated that from the
beginning of 20st Century (with the work done by ASTRANA MARIN translating the
Complete Works of Shakespere) nothing of this level had taken place in our
country. Eg The fact that new productions were organized based on new
translations, in a renewed scenic style undertaken by directors of prestige.
And this was the aim –we must repeat on and on- :to widen the field of action
so that the productions including the young actors could be known in circles of
prestige. And so has happened.
An important turning point in
this process always was thee visiting of
THE NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE OF GREAT BRITAN, the fruit of which was a
coalition of the FUNDACION SHAKESPEARE with BRIAN &LEE, directors.
This was an ideal opportunity to educate
our young actors exchanging experiences with those of the UK, in a nice mixture
of different levels of education, social status etc. missing up in an idel community of young artists
exchanging experiences…Our actors would play at the West end and the English
Youth Theatre in our major venues both in Valencia and in Madrid…Thus the
encounter of JAIME PUJOL,CARLES SAN JAIME,ALEJO SAURAS or DANIEL CRAIG was made possible.
We can say –with no fear to be wrong- that most of the actors todays playing in
Valencia, and a good number of those who play in Madrid, come from our project,
after experimenting ann strategy that would take our productions to EDIMBURGH,NEW
YORK, LOS ANGELES, HAVANA…mainly playing pieces written for the purpose by
MANUEL ANGEL CONEJERO under the
heteronym DIONIS-BAYER (his second surname) himself being included as an actor
and director, again accompanied my Rafael Cruz. Of those plays some should be
mentioned : HAMLET IN THE MIRROR (played booth in Spanish and in English) Tres Nobles Amigos (Three Noble
Kinsmen) played in Spanish and I´m not King Lear (NO SOY EL REY LEAR>)
played in both languages and always including in the cast, Manuel angel
Conejero.
3.-DIDACTICS
OF THE THEATRE and THEATRE PROMOTION in LATIN/AMERICA
Between
1998 and 2008 the emphasis was placed on a thorough task of Drama and
Theatre Teaching, organizing regular
courses in Madrid at the CATEDRA /LABORATORIO run by MANUEL ANGEL CONEJERO, in
the new Madrid premises, transferring all the activities from Valencia to the
capital of Spain. On top of these Programme of Theatre Teaching, there was a
new interest: to show our system in a place of South America with a good
tradition in Theatre, so Havana was chosen to present our repertory (HAMLET IN
THE MIRROR,NO SOY EL REY LEAR (I´M NOT KING LEAR and EL PRIMO DE LA HABANA) at
the HUBERT DE BLANCK THEATRE casting for Lear PANCHO GARCIA, an actor of great
reputation in Cuba, and PABLO MENASANCH, once a student of ours.
This
activity in Cuba included the opening of a YOUTH THEATRE at the HAVANA POLYTECHNIC(CUJAE)ensemble
formed to perform HAMLET by Shakespeare, and an ANTHOLGY OF LORCA´S PLAYS