Theatre can be an incredible instrument for learning a second language and this is a unique experience of Spanish theatre for all levels.
Not only because of the obvious reason of exposing yourself to the language in any possible way, but also because theatre can provide a rich cultural experience.
Culture plays a huge part in a language, so when you learn Spanish you could be learning those extra bits like social conventions, the use of body language in the communication process and other nonverbal cues.
Drama will help you with this and to get closer to the communicative situations that happen outside of the classroom.
Now that we’ve established how good theatre can be for your Spanish, I have some extra news: FeSTeLõn is back!
The Festival of Spanish Theatre London, launches its 6th edition this month. The good news doesn’t finish here though, it gets even better: Plays are performed in Spanish with English ‘surtitles’ (theatre equivalent of subtitles), so anyone can enjoy an authentic experience of Spanish Theatre, regardless of their knowledge of the language.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, there is even more. The performances are also supported by opt-in workshops as well as talks by academics and practitioners.
My personal recommendation would be to go see La vida es sueño: el bululú after attending one or both of these two workshops: Barroque Theatre and a Humanistic Vision and Introduction to Understanding and Interpreting Spanish
Golden Age Theatre. Calderón de la Barca, the author of this play, was a dramatist, poet and writer of the Spanish Golden Age (16 th and 17 th centuries). His work has been considered the culmination of the Spanish Baroque theatre and Goethe even regarded his work as high as that of Shakespeare. Highly recommended!
I believe this is an incredible and unique opportunity to see critically acclaimed works by the top-ranking Spanish companies as much as a great opportunity to get immerse in the Spanish culture.
Also, if you have children this is an excellent opportunity do something a bit different with them. This year FeSTeLõn has also introduced ‘FeSTeLõn Kids’, a small selection of two plays created specifically with children in mind (suitable
for 5+ years).
You can find all dates for plays and workshops plus some extra information in the festival’s website:
http://www.festivalspanishtheatre.co.uk/
Do not miss it! ¡No os lo perdáis!
Cristina