Part of Out of the Wings Festival

“The state of love is like the state of grace: it demands an act of faith and a miracle of hope.”

Complemento eavesdrops on the lover’s quarrel between Clara and Antonio in the park. His strong sense of duty to help others compels him to befriend the heartbroken Clara. But is he a long lost friend or just trying to take advantage of the situation? Complemento offers to put the couple’s marriage plans back on track by helping Clara quell Antonio’s delusions of becoming a great business tycoon. Whether through earthly conniving or heavenly intervention, Complemento manages to keep his promise.

Complemento was among the first radio plays broadcast on Colombia’s national radio. It premiered as a stage play in 1943 with Colombia’s national theatre. Complemento is regarded as an important national literary work and enduring classic, having been re-recorded and broadcast in 1957, republished in 1973 as part of the Colombian Institute of Culture Ministry of National Education collection, and included in the 2011 Señal Memoria audio release “El Retablo de las Maravillas: Homenaje al Radioteatro, 1945 – 1965”.

Freddie is the second work in a trilogy of theatrical monologues written by Estévez called Ceremonies for Desperate Actors. Freddie is a desperate actor of his own creation. Alone in his room with the world glimpsed only through a closed window, he plays a dangerous game of make-believe. Transgressive and defiant, he invites the audience to share in the ceremony of this extraordinary day.

Abilio Estévez is a prize-winning Cuban playwright, poet and novelist. He was born in Havana in 1954 and currently lives in Spain.

Writer
Abilio Estévez
Translator (Complemento)
Gigi Guizado
Translator (Freddie)
Kate Eaton
Director
Camila González