The Sagunt a Escena festival will blow out the candles of its forty anniversary this year with a very complete multidisciplinary proposal of performing arts and music where rebellion, denunciation and diversity become the guiding thread of an attractive program. Contemporary dance, classical theater and music, flamenco, puppets, circus and comedy will have their space both in the great shows at the emblematic Roman Theater in Sagunt and in the streets and squares of the city with the free access shows at Off Romà.
Sagunt a Escena has become one of the great artistic events of each summer after four decades. This year, from August 3 to 27, the public will be able to enjoy actors and actresses with proven trajectories such as Belén Rueda, Cayetana Guillén Cuervo and Pepe Viyuela; pieces directed by renowned directors such as Magüi Mira, Jaume Policarpo, Andrés Lima and Eva Zapico; or international proposals such as those of Josef Nadj, Christina Pluhar and Vinzenzo Capezzuto. All without forgetting pieces by classic authors.
The singers María José Llergo, Maria del Mar Bonet and Sandra Monfort will perform on the stage of the Roman Theater in Sagunto, and the national awards for dance, Chevi Muraday, and theater, Andrés Lima, will exhibit their latest creations.
The inauguration of the edition of the four decades of Sagunt a Escena on August 3 will be carried out by a version with puppets of the tragedy of the king who could not escape his fate. Bambalina Teatre Practicable premieres a new version of the myth of Sophocles' Èdip Rei with musicians and a live choir.
Although the program is extensive and colors are made for tastes, it is worth writing down events such as the show Pandataria (August 5), which brings Cayetana Guillén Cuervo on stage and explains her experiences on an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, where They exiled women from the Roman Empire who did not conform to the norms during the time of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.
Also noteworthy are the musical journey through the Mediterranean by L'Arpeggiata and Maria del Mar Bonet (August 10) or the national premiere of Omma by the artist and choreographer Jodef Nadj who heads the dance lineup of Sagunt a Escena (August 24 ). Nadj brings together a group of eight dancers from Mali, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and the two Congos who, in the words of the event's director, Inma Expósito, "approaches black African culture through dance and It goes back to the roots of the human being”.
The 40th anniversary program includes baroque music, digital nods, Mediterranean folk and flamenco with its roots projected into the future. The group El Diluvi will bring the festival to a close with their fusion of rumba, cumbia, reggae and Valencian music in the central Glorieta de Sagunt.
As a climax, the Teatre Romà program will close on August 26, with Salomé, in which Magüi Mira will rely on Belén Rueda to tell the story of the princess who claimed the head of John the Baptist on a plate.
Before the premiere, the director of the festival, Inma Expósito, attends La Vanguardia.
How is Sagunt a Escena going to celebrate its 40th anniversary?
We have been doing retrospectives on social networks for a few weeks, with historical images, memories of people who have participated in the festival. But we don't want to stay in the past, and Sagunt a escena is already looking to the future, looking for the name of Sagunt a escena to continue to be a benchmark among summer festivals for many more years.
What would you highlight from this year's programming?
It is a program that has been worked on for many months and, among the large number of proposals that we had in hand, the ones that remain, all of them, have an important weight within the group and are noteworthy in different aspects.
As an example, L'Arpeggiatta by Christina Pluhar, together with Maria del Mar Bonet and Vincenzo Capezzuto, which has been made possible by the joint effort of the artists involved on the one hand, and on the other, the harmony of Sagunt a Escena with the Festivals of Pollença and Toroella de Montgrí.
Another example would be the premiere in the state of Omma, a proposal by the choreographer Josef Nadj that approaches African roots through dance. There are absolute premieres, such as Èdip rei by Bambalina and multi-award-winning proposals such as Só, by Xampatito Pato, Desprovisto by UpArte or Anhel, a piece taken from De Hueso y Piel by Cristina Gómez and which received three awards from the Valencian Performing Arts.
But I insist, each show has one or many aspects to highlight: the presence of authors such as Sophocles, Aristophanes or Shakespeare, in the shoes of Belén Rueda, Luisa, Marín, Pablo Puyol, Cayetana Guillén Cuervo, Pepe Viyuela, Mariano Peña…. directed by Jaume Policarpo, Magüi Mira, Eva Zapico, Chevy Muraday, Andrés Lima, Paco Mir…
It gives the feeling that there is an idea of diversity and rebellion that is transversal to the entire festival
Well, I don't know whether to call it rebellion, because the idea of diversity is very present in our society. In Sagunt there is space for all people, without discriminating by origin, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, economic level... What there is is a lot of intention, when preparing the program, but also in production. This year we will have for the first time shows adapted for people with hearing problems. We work with a low price policy in Teatre Romà performances and all OFF shows are free to access. The idea is that no one feels excluded due to content or format.
We want to bring culture closer to all social strata, because a society that advances is one that has the capacity for analysis, reflection and action in defense of basic values. There is a part of aesthetics and entertainment, but we cannot ignore the responsibility of culture as the engine of society.
For this reason, there are many shows in Sagunt on stage that explicitly seek reflection or the denunciation of some facts that, unfortunately, are very much the order of the day.
Pandataria is a reflection on the role of women throughout history and an ode to diversity. Voràgine denounces sexual assaults, their consequences on the victims and the impassiveness with which they often find themselves. Nüshu talks about the overexploitation of labor and resources. Cospress analyzes the exposure of our bodies and the serious consequences of wanting to reach unrealistic aesthetic ideals.
It can be said, after 40 years, that it is already a consolidated festival. Now where should you go?
In four decades, Sagunt a Escena has become a benchmark in the performing arts because it has evolved with the times. The proposals on display today are in line with 2023 just as they were with the society of their time 20, 30 or 40 years ago. Sagunt a Escena must continue to update itself, grow and find the pieces that allow it to move forward.
Do you have a sufficient budget?
I think it is a fairly fair budget, taking into account that it is part of the many activities of the three institutions that finance it. However, an increase is always welcome, but I want to highlight the quality of the programming with the current budget. Sagunt a Escena can grow in many ways, with expanded activities, for example. But expanding the number of shows would be very difficult, because we have as many performances as the calendar of the Institutions that promote the festival and the staff that make it possible allow us. Many things would have to be reconsidered, but we would surely find a way to reverse it and have it revert to society.
