The Franco-Uruguayan writer stars from a desk in this autofictional conference this weekend at La Salita
This weekend, La Salita is scheduling Memento mori o la celebración de la muerte, by the playwright Sergio Blanco. The shows will be performed on Friday (October 31) and Saturday (November 1) at 7.30 p.m., as well as on Sunday (November 2) at noon, in the special theatre space at the Auditorio de Tenerife. After the premiere, a discussion session will be held for attendees.
Continuing the autofiction trend that the Franco-Uruguayan creator has been exploring for some years now, his text Memento mori o la celebración de la muerte (Memento mori or the celebration of Death) is a monologue performed by the author himself in a conference-style format. With only a desk as a stage prop and a visual projection showing a series of photographs by the famous Uruguayan photographer Matilde Campodónico, Blanco’s text makes the audience participants in a show on Death that is impactful due to its incisiveness and beauty.
As the reading progresses, you will gradually discover that the captivating aspect of this original format invented by Blanco, which he describes using the term autofiction conference, is that he isn’t only talking about Death itself, but rather about the intimate way that the author experiences Death, both suffering it through pain and anguish and also experiencing it as enjoyment and pleasure. So, the text is not restricted to a predictable and comfortable condemnation of Death. Instead, it manages to revel in the celebration of a phenomenon that, according to its author, is the one that most binds us to life.
Thus, Memento mori o la celebración de la muerte is constructed as a text that approaches Death calmly, with a light touch and beauty, therefore bringing us closer to a serene idea of dying. As Blanco explains in his text: ‘Death doesn’t destroy, it immortalises: it makes us immortal. Death doesn’t put an end to us; it is our beginning: that is undoubtedly why I aim to be the world’s most beautiful corpse.’
Over recent years, the productions of the multi-award-winning Sergio Blanco have appeared at prestigious festivals around the globe, and with performances across five continents, he is recognised as one of the most frequently produced dramatists writing in Spanish today. Blanco has previously appeared several times at the Auditorio de Tenerife through his texts or in residencies and workshops, returning next December to La Salita with his piece Tebas Land. The performances will take place on the 6th, 7th, and 8th, presented by the company Teatro Timbre 4.
The tickets can be purchased at a single price of €8 on www.auditoriodetenerife.com, at the auditorium’s box office, or by dialling the phone number 902 317 327, from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There are discounts for those under 30, subscription holders of Ópera de Tenerife and wheelchair users.