The play ‘God save the queen’ returns to the stage, this time at the Paulsen Studio

God save the queen, a production of the North American Ecuadorian Center, returns to the theatrical billboard in Guayaquil. The play, written and directed by Raúl Sánchez McMillan, was presented for the first time at the La Bota theater space in 2019, and will now screen the Wednesday 1, 8 and 15 December in the tables of Estudio Paulsen (Las Peñas).

It is a short musical set with the hits of Queen during the 80s, which tells the story of Fred in the English language (a distant nod to Freddie Mercury), in the skin of the renowned actor Hugo Alexander. It is a plot of self-love, acceptance and tolerance.

Sánchez highlights the value of this piece in English, the official language of the band rock and her songs. “I had the job of translating certain texts (on other occasions) and sometimes in that process the message gets a little lost; It is almost like translating Shakespeare, who had exquisite expressions in his texts ”, the playwright illustrates, so he invites those interested in enjoying this production made entirely in the Anglo-Saxon language.

This initiative is part of CEN’s objectives of linking the public with the components of North American popular culture, to generate an exchange of knowledge, experiences and opportunities in both languages. “We are a cultural institution and a binational center … We wanted to fulfill our mission of uniting the two cultures by showing different types of works, with diverse themes, about North American culture and listening to it in its original language,” explains Consuelo Hidalgo, cultural director of the CEN.

For years, adds the bilingual cultural manager, CEN has appreciated the interest that short-format works aroused in Guayaquil residents. For this reason, the educational and cultural institution began in 2017 micro-drama cycles on various topics. CEN’s theatrical programming was baptized The Scene and was developed in its first cycle at the Urdesa headquarters; then he moved on to the Paulsen stage.

“At that time, Shayna Cram, director of press and culture of the North American consulate in Guayaquil, told me that a theater that is also a school was going to be inaugurated, in Las Peñas, where they also teach the Meisner technique, which is a North American technique. . Was a perfect match to work together ”, recalls Consuelo.

Certainly, the space will allow a greater scenic display of its protagonist, values ​​Sánchez. The scenography has been conceived in 360º mode so that the public can see it from all angles. The staging has elements of concert and dance overtones, in which the fourth wall is also broken and the protagonist shares with the audience, who will also encourage him to sing at the top of his lungs the lyrics of I want to break free, Who wants to live forever and others from Queen.

“We are going to premiere on December 1, which is the international day of HIV prevention. The play touches on this issue: it is the story of a character who contracted this virus and speaks to the public face to face, he tells them: ‘I have to live with this, I am not a bad person, do not judge me,’ ”Sánchez clarifies. “I think it aligns with the purposes of CEN and Paulsen, of bringing content that questions, makes us reflect on what is happening in our society and makes us grow.”

2020 was the first year that the CEN micro-drama cycles were not developed, due to the pandemic. “We missed him a lot, he is our star program,” Hidalgo points out. “At 2022 we are going to return, if the authorities allow it, to our regular season which is in summer, that is, between August and October, at the Paulsen Studio ”.

God save the queen will be open to the public for free, with two daily functions (at 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.).