Art-ificium Productions presents Agüeybaná El Bravo by Puerto Rican playwright Ricardo Magriñá Vélez at the XXXIII Theater Festival of Caguas. The festival this year is dedicated to the late anthropologist, historian, and archaeologist, Ricardo Alegría, who was a leading champion for the conservation of the cultural heritage of Puerto Rico [see previous posts Ricardo Alegría: Cultural Advocate and Patron of the Arts Died Today and Ricardo Alegría 1921-2011: The Man Who Made it “OK” to be Puerto Rican]. The play also commemorates the V Centenary of the Taíno Revolution of 1511, an uprising that marked the beginning of a long history of Puerto Rican resistance against oppression. Agüeybaná El Bravo will be staged on September 16, 17 and 18 (with shows for school groups from September 13 to 16) at the Arcelay Theater in Caguas, Puerto Rico.
Agüeybaná El Bravo explores the clash between varying visions and ways of dealing with cultural repression. It presents the conflict between a Native-American chief and his nephew: Cacique Agüeybana El Viejo and Agüeybaná El Bravo [Agüeybana the Elder and Agüeybaná the Brave]. The former hosts coexistence with the newcomers, while the latter proposes making weapons to defend the homeland against the abuses of the conquerors.
Agüeybaná El Bravo represents far-reaching events from the island’s indigenous history to invite the audience to reflect on what has happened in 500 years of resistance and identity formation. The theater piece is written by Puerto Rican playwright Ricardo Magriñá Vélez, whose work is the result of a long period of research in the dramaturgy workshops of the Conservatory of Dramatic Art the Puerto Rican Athenaeum and as part of his training as an archaeologist at the Center for Advanced Studies of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, which was founded by Don Ricardo Alegría.
The cast includes Rolando Reyes (as Agüeybaná the Elder), Zulaika Ginés, Israel Solla, Antonio Rivera Malavé, Emilio Graciano, Andrés López Sierra, and Luis Javier López (as Agüeybaná the Brave), who also directs the play.
For more information, you may call (787) 461-6890 or (787) 391-4541 or write to olgavegafontanez@gmail.com
Painting above (Agüeybaná greeting Ponce de León) by Agustin Anavitate.
