Moliere himself had to give in to the designs of Louis XIV, Politicians have forgotten political correctness, leaving their miseries exposed., three friends have had to rethink their convictions in the face of the rise of Nazism, children's icons like Peter Pan, Alicia or Dorothy have helped us analyze reality in terms of farce. All this has been cooked in the Arden pot since Juan Carlos Garés and Chema Cardeña founded it in 1995 with the idea of creating classical montages based on contemporary texts. In 2011 they would open the Russafa Room, production and exhibition headquarters of the company that over the years has become an essential coordinate within the cultural map of Valencia. On Dénia Street they premiered the first Arden-Sala Russafa co-production, 7 Queens, with which this month of February they celebrate the ten years of life of the room. It is a piece in which seven men give life to seven queens who had to exercise, conquer and maintain power in a world designed by and for men. We spoke with Cardeña, the hand that rocks Arden's texts, about this work, the room and his artistic work, keeping fresh in our memory the gesture that his company had during that imposed quarantine that kept us locked up at home, hang some of its most emblematic pieces openly for the entertainment of staff.
Tell us a little about each of the seven queens who star in the play. What do they have in common, In addition to having been very powerful in an eminently masculine world?
Las 7 queens, They are ruling queens, that is to say, non-consorts and king's wives. They hold absolute power and face a world created by men, in which they have to survive, not only as queens but also as women. Mary Stuart, questioned for her concept of freedom. Catalina, the Great, vilified for having lovers, just like kings. Christina of Sweden, censored for his homosexuality. Isabella the Catholic, alone before the challenge of uniting a nation. Juana, the crazy, whom his father disqualified from reigning, for being a woman. Elizabeth II of Spain, for whom a law had to be changed for him to reign and which led to a war. Elizabeth I of England, besieged by not wanting to have either a husband or children. All, with its errors and virtues, They were fighters who wanted equality. Being rulers without having their work judged based on their sex.
At a time when transsexual actors and actresses claim that they should be in charge of giving life to transsexual characters, you use male actors to represent the lives of seven women. Because? What is the objective?
I believe that actors and actresses do not have sex.. We are performers and we can do any type of role, regardless of gender. The theater is the most equitable and egalitarian space I know. I only want the men who give life to these women to approach them from their masculinity., without disguise, to the reality of these queens; that we know more closely his condition. I don't think there's anything to claim. Women have played men in the theater and men have played women. “Trans” actors have the same opportunities and I do not believe that because they are trans they should only play these roles.. It would seem like very basic discrimination to me and I repeat that theater does not discriminate.
Are you going to introduce any changes in the work compared to the one you premiered in 2011?
Yeah, there are changes in the distribution. Also in space and scenery. But, basically, we respect the original assembly.
In 7 Queens there is live music, covers of The Beatles, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen o Mike Oldfield. Music is a constant in many of your works. With what intention do you introduce it in your montages??
Music for me is an essential element in theater. Create atmosphere, underlines, introduces and has its own dialogue and monologue. The viewer knows that the language of music is universal and where words do not reach, the music arrives.
The humorous tone is another characteristic that is repeated in many of your creations.. It is essential, For example, in your Political stories, where you stretch stereotypes to the point of parody so that the viewer can laugh at themselves. Is laughter cathartic? Is it a useful tool to look at and understand the world?
Comedy is the best way to make social and political criticism. It takes you away from the drama and melodrama that we ourselves often create on any topic.. Laughter is healing and humor makes you distance yourself from problems, see them from another prism.
And one more peculiarity, the historical background. In The invasion of the barbarians we travel to the Franco era, in Shakespeare in Berlin to Nazi Germany, in kill the king to the Castile of Henry IV, in Shakespeare's Whores to London 1620, Susan and the devil revolves around the murders committed by Charles Manson's gang in the late 60s... Why do you look so much at the past?
I don't look at the past. I look at the present from the past. And we haven't changed anything. We make the same mistakes and act and move by the same values. I think if you show the present as it is, the public sees it every day and is not so impacted. If you use the past to talk about what is happening today, you invite him to discover the analogies and it is easier for him to reflect on his present. I think it is a much more effective exercise..
By the way, In the previous question Shakespeare appears twice. What is Shakespeare for the theater? And for you?
Shakespeare is the creator of theater as we know it. The authentic creator of characters with soul and plots. For me, is the teacher.
For ten years, the Sala Russafa has been offering high-quality theater in a neighborhood that needed something more than restaurants, chic stores and some galleries that have been taking over. You were born in 2011 with the last blows of the real estate crisis and you celebrate the decade facing an unprecedented situation due to the coronavirus pandemic. This added to the systemic precariousness with which the culture has always danced.. How are you coping?? What assessment do you make of these last ten years??
It has been ten very hard years. Two very big crises and a very risky bet. But the balance is very positive. We have created a space in Valencia with a lot of impact. a theater, a school and a multicultural space that has crossed the borders of our city. Although times are difficult and the economy is tight, I think the project has been worth it and we continue with the same enthusiasm as the first day.
Can you tell us what your next creation will be?? What do you have prepared for us??
I am preparing a montage for the Noir company based on a text by Rosa López titled Under dust, which will premiere in May at Sala Russafa and which belongs to the noir genre. At the same time, I am writing the montage with which we will celebrate the 25 years of our company, Arden, and that will close the circle of the work with which we were born ago 25 years, The Stay.
