¡Venga por la obra, quédese a la discusión política! (en inglés)
by Maggie Yates
While Santa Barbara’s theatre scene offers enough fare to keep even the most overzealous of us busy, it’s impossible to not look beyond the Ventura County horizon and wonder … what the hell is happening in LA this weekend?
If you’re heading down the coast to La-La Land this weekend, check out my pick for beguiling out-of-county theatrical experiences: 39 Defaults, by award-winning Spanish playwright Mar Gómez Glez.39 Defaults is brought to California audiences by Theater in Motion after playing for two years in New York City and another year in Madrid, Spain. Theater in Motion’s objective is to provide immersive and intimate performance experiences that eliminate the option for passive viewing. Theater in Motion encourages audiences to invest fully in the social and political concepts represented on stage, and then interact with these ideas by engaging in related discourse with the artists after the show.
39 Defaults is a story of trust, suspicion, and the fine line between truth and perception in a tech-savvy world where anything and everything could be under surveillance. Based on the true story of Enric Durán, a Catalan political activist who took out a series of loans from almost 40 banks in Spain, and then publicly announced that he had no intention of repaying the debts, 39 Defaults presents a man on the lam who can trust almost no one. Durán contended that he robbed the financial institutions as a political action to denounce the predatory capitalist system. He then used the money, about 500,000 Euros, to fund a number of anti-capitalist movements.
Durán finds himself in a loft apartment with an American woman who offers haven and hospitality, but questions about motives linger heavy in the theater space between the two characters. 39 Defaults is an intimate portrayal of trust and suspicion–this mesmerizing concept forces overwhelming wariness. Both characters carry the weight of potential discovery, a tug-of-war of conviction and deception in one room.
39 Defaults has been described as a play of wits in which characters and audience alike are forced to face the reality of a growing surveillance state in our current social climate. If you’re feeling raw and energized after the experience, stay and have a drink with the performers and share your thoughts. This conversation forum following the performance involves more than the typical question-and-answer talkback session about process: this is a true dialogue with the artists about these globally significant concepts. Come for the play, stay for the political discourse–develop your outlook with the collaborative prompting of this intrepid group of international artists!
39 Defaults was written by award-winning playwright Mar Gómez Glez, whose other work includes Wearing Lorca’s Bowtie.
Directed by Spanish director Daniel Zarandieta. Featuring Sergio Lanza and Stephanie O’Neill.
Presented at the Valencia Cultural Point
111 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
General Entrance: $15
Last chance to experience this riveting show!
Friday February 12 at 8pm
Saturday February 13 at 8pm
Sunday February 14 at 5pm
«THEATER IN MOTION is an international theater company founded by Maria Brasero, Natividad Bujalance, and Daniel Zarandieta with the goal of global collaboration, performing in different languages and styles in order to foster a new relationship with our audience. Theater In Motion invokes the audience not only as spectator, but as the integral creative element within the work, and therefore essential to the creative process.»