Ay, Carmela!

What can happen when you find yourself on the wrong side of history? And how much are you willing to do on the altar of (your) freedom? This is the starting point of “Ay, Carmela!”, the multi-award-winning, tragicomic play by José Sanchis Sinisterra presented by the Theatre Company «THEARTES» of Konstantinos Kyriakou and Katerina Bilali.

Carmela and Paulino are two traveling actors who, in the midst of the Spanish Civil War, entertain the democratic troops with their inspection sketches. Due to a mistake, they cross into the area controlled by Franco’s nationalists and are captured. They order them to present, in exchange for their freedom, a performance for their troops and to include a parody against the Republic, with the aim of mocking the captured members of the International Brigades who are to be executed the next day.

Carmela, indignant, attempts to overthrow this parody despite the desperate efforts of the weak-willed Paulino. In the end, will Paulino manage to restrain Carmela or will Carmela complete her plan and end up being executed?

This is an anti-fascist, strongly allegorical text, full of humor and sensitivity. Through the adventure of the two protagonists, the collective tragedy of a people plagued by civil strife is illuminated, the complexity of the human condition faced with pain, collective mutual respect, the dignity of the artist, human sensitivity, and the need not to lose historical memory, as in a world that is still full of conflicts, the heartbreaking depiction of love and loss is a painful testimony to the inhumanity of war.