D O W N

A B O V E

by JUANLUIS MIRA

TRANSLATION: JOHN D. SANDERSON

 DOWN ABOVE

CHARACTERS

PIT is well over thirty, but his mental clock stopped far earlier and left some naivety in
his face. He has trouble looking into somebody else’s eyes. He talks with difficulty, but
can read aloud fluently. When he is not worried there is half a smile in his mouth, like a
nervous twitch.
THERESA is not thirty yet. Actress.
MÁŃEZ is fifty, but looks older.
VIDAL is an old prompter. He knows the theatre underworld as nobody else does.
A MAN IN A DARK COAT.
... and legs, calves, shoes, voices of actresses and actors who are performing THREE
TOP HATS on the stage of Theatre Princesa.

STAGE

Three separate levels which are connected.

UP on the roof of a building in the city centre.
DOWN in a small, old cellar which, under the stage of the theatre, is a hideout for the
prompter as well as a store-room.
THE HIGHEST, the prompting shell where the prompter does his job in the Theatre
Princesa. Next to it we can only see a small part of that imaginary space beyond the
battery of footlights.
A cyclorama closes and brings together these three spaces. Over it we will see some
images through binoculars and the telescopic sight of the shotgun.

We are in Valencia, 1954.

2
1 UP ONE PICTURE, TWO SHOTS

Dead of night. Up there, standing in front of the audience, dressed in a long coat, a cap,
gloves, somebody is putting together pieces of a shotgun with a knowing routine. The
scarce light, some of it intermittent, is a reflection from the outside.
The sniper sometimes has a fit of cough, so he stops and pops a sweet into his mouth.
He looks through his binoculars at the stalls.
We hear far away a train arriving at a station.
Voices, a whistle, footsteps in a hurry.
He puts the binoculars down and finishes putting the shotgun together.
Secures it to his shoulder. Firm pulse.
Aims down thoroughly, moves up slowly, with precision, a few centimetres.
Spits out the sweet. Takes a deep breath. Waits.
Noise of footsteps get louder till they suddenly stop.
Silence.
He shoots once.
Again. Routine.
Silence.
Train starts off on its journey to nowhere.
Dark.

3
2 DOWN THE BOTTOM (ARSE) OF THE THEATRE

Only a tiny part of the stage is lit, where we can see striking shoes, lovely
legs in panties almost to the limit of what an audience should be allowed
to see. Male trousers perfectly ironed, everything fashionable of the mad
1920`s . Happy voices, movements and steps of characters playing the
end of the first act of Three Top-Hats.

DYONISOS No. I’m sorry. Actually I’ve made a mistake. He is no idiot. He is

black...so he’s got a temper. But it’s not his fault. He, what could he do
once he had fallen off the bicycle? It would have been far worse if he had
lost an arm. And this lady has told him... and, well, he’s really
mad...What else...?

Little by little the prompter’s cellar is lit; we see the long coat, cap,a
scarf on a hanger. Pit is in the prompter’s shell with his libretto,
following the scene. Once in a while he coughs and even laughs at the
comedy above. He can’t help it. When Paula – Theresa’s voice – speaks,
he stops reading the texts and looks at the stage, whispering her lines by
heart.

DYONISOS No, I’ve just finished...

FANNY You are both always the same... You are stupid, Paula.
BUBY So much the better if I am!

PAULA-THERESA exits. PIT follows her with his gaze, and the text with
the corner of his eye. A door is slammed on stage. The comedy goes on
with PIT watching and not realizing PAULA is coming down the spiral
staircase.

BUBY And if I am rude, so much the better!

4
 Another door is slammed on stage, just like the first one. THERESA
approaches PIT behind him and puts her hands on his eyes. PIT
suddenly turns round, frightened, and starts coughing.

PIT (With an affected voice) ¡Theresa!

THERESA What a face you’re making!
PIT Shhhh! Don’t… speak so loud!
THERESA (With an affected voice as well, imitating him.) It’s allright! I have
frightened you, haven’t I? As if I was a phantom!
PIT (Can’t help smiling). The actors can…not be here.
THERESA What about the actresses?
PIT Don‘t be silly. You know they can’t. I need to…go on with…
THERESA Don’t worry. They do know it. It would be ludicrous if after two months
we still made bloopers.
( PIT and THERESA look at each other and smile. A voice from stage
demands ‘prompt’. PIT breaks the spell and looks awkwardly for the
line. He reads it aloud, very professional.)
PIT. Do you have a match, sir? Do you have a match, sir?
FANNY’S VOICE Do you have a match, sir?
(The scene goes on, opposite the prompt shell.)
THERESA I forgot that big Claramunt has the memory of a goldfish.
PIT (Smiling). One never knows.
THERESA But she has pretty legs, don’t you think? (Pause. Pit follows the text.)
Do you like them?
PIT What?
THERESA From up the on stage I had never imagined what a smashing view you
have from down here.
( PIT goes on with his prompting.) You surely satiate yourself seeing the
girls so young and pretty, don’t you?
( PIT avoids answering. He smiles.)
And my legs, do you like them?
( PIT turns round a second and tries to look into her eyes but cannot.
Still smiling, he looks back at the stage.)
PIT If I don’t cue now it will cost me a leg.

5
THERESA See? We show you our legs, soon you will have to give us yours!
( PIT smiles innocently, once again he tries to concentrate on the text.)
I’m sorry, Pit, I just wanted…well, I just wanted to see you and…
PIT And...
THERESA And ... see your hideout, if you like.
(THERESA looks around. PIT checks her out while still following the
text. THERESA turns on the desk lamp. Some angles of the basement are
lit up. She feels the sofa’s softness. Sees a briefcase, under the table.)
PIT (Still with the text). Shouldn’t you be up there by now?
THERESA There are still seven pages.
PIT Six pages.
THERESA And then comes the interval.
PIT But…you have eight lines before that..
THERESA So many?
PIT Yes.
THERESA There I go.
PAUSE.
( Pit goes through the dialogue between Fanny and Dyonysos.)
FANNY But do they applaud him?
DYONYSOS Not much. Not really… Everything is so expensive.
(A phone rings very loudly. Theresa stands up stunned. Then she realises
it is on stage. She smiles and sits down again.)
THERESA The truth is it was okay for me to escape. From Mańez, you know. He’s
becoming tedious now. Look. (She shows him a ring she is wearing. PIT
does not look back.) I’m sorry. I think I’d better go now.
PIT (Still looking at the stage.) Stay! I… was listening to you. The…ring.
THERESA You didn’t even look.
PIT Of course I did. It really suits you.
PAUSE. The crazy ‘BALLET GIRLS OF BUDDY BARTON’ have just
come on stage. Pit smiles, still looking at the text.
THERESA Young tender calves.
PIT The girl… that plays Carmela…is new.
THERESA Let me see.

6
 Goes up the steps that lead to the prompt shell. Gets as close as she can
to PIT to have a better view and looks around.
She is a young girl! And she has hardly rehearsed. Skunk will do
anything just to save a penny.
PIT Feels very well close to Theresa. Looks at the back of her neck and
forgets the text for a few seconds.
Sss…skunk?
THERESA She realises Carmela needs prompting, and helps her
…And he has even fallen in love with me...! (Not loud enough.)
PIT Louder
... And he has even fallen in love with me!
CARMELLA And he has even fallen in love with me!
Show goes on.
THERESA You’re stunning at what you do
PIT feels flattered. THERESA goes down the steps and sits on the chair.
You’ll see, you’re going to end up learning every role. It must be
difficult. (Imitates the actress) And he has even fallen in love with me!
PIT Who?
THERESA ¿Who? Oh, Skunk, I assume.
PIT ¿Skunk?
THERESA Well,that’s what he says, but what I know is that the only thing he has on
his mind is to grope me and whenever he fancies it he leaves some gift or
another on the table in my dressing room while I’m on stage. Take this
one it must have cost him a fortune. And that’s what I find really strange
- knowing his penny-pinching ways.
She shows ring as proof.
PIT It does…shine.
Show goes on above, with entering and exiting, doors opening and
closing, music playing on a gramophone, absurd dialogue.
Who is…Skunk?
THERESA (Laughs.) Don’t tell me that at this point you still have no idea of who we
all call Skunk!
PIT looks at the stage and helps Carmela with her final lines.

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 Oh yes, how would you know, down here. This place is worse than a
sewer!
PIT (Laughs). Vidal calls it the bottom (arse) of the theatre.
THERESA Vidal has always been so accurate, even more nowadays. It is a great
place to hide, though. What’s there at the back? Another room?
PIT does not answer
And I’m sure there are rats.
PIT nods in agreement.
So what? They’re upstairs too. Everytime I put make up on in my
dressing room a tiny one comes out to visit me. I think she wants to learn
how to look pretty. But what am I saying? These rats must be far more
intelligent than us. I’m sure they don’t need to put make up on their puss
to get their mice, don’t you think?
PIT seems to be focusing exclusively on stage.
Skunk Mańez. Who else could we be talking about? He is a dirty rat! Is
there anyone that smells worse than he does? Everytime he enters my
dressing room I have to ask Claramunt for some perfume to spray it all
over the room, otherwise you simply can’t stand the smell. And not
mentioning...eh...you know what. Pit…?!
PIT Mmm...
THERESA She sounds uneasy.
The truth is that I have a special favour to ask you, this is why I came
here; however, I don’t think this is the time, with all the fuss…
PIT Madame Olga, Madame Olga is on stage. The prompter wants you… up
there!
THERESA Ok, I’m on my way. You do love your job…Man, you’re crazy about it.
She stands up grudgingly postponing her request. Reads aloud the title of
the book on the table.‘Hunter tales’...Starts going up the spiral staircase.
PIT Theresa...
THERESA Yes.
PIT . I like the ring. I… really do.
THERESA I don’t, I mean, I don’t like it because it’s him who gave it to me, well, I
assume it was him - I don’t know any other man who could spend money

8
 so lavishly. But it’s pretty, I must say. It doesn’t smell good though, you
understand.
PIT So why do you wear it?
THERESA I have my reasons. However, I won’t wear it for a long time. Perhaps I
will sell it. These are bad times for jewellery and, besides, there are
people in need.
She says this before going upstairs.
PIT What was it… that.. you wanted to ask me for?
THERESA Maybe some other time, yes, some other time will be better.
PIT As Dyonysos puts it (Imitates his voice ) ˇGood! (Smiles) ...Listen...
(Coughs.)
THERESA Yes...
Stops coughing.
PIT Thank you…
THERESA What for?
PIT For the visit.
THERESA smiles back, a farewell, then hurries up; she is on. PIT
concentrates on the text. A phone rings several times on stage. Somebody
answers it., PAULA/ THERESA enters and chats with Dyonysos, the final
lines of the first act which PIT listens to with great pleasure. He says her
final lines by heart, simultaneously.
PAULA/PIT Please, come in…I’m asking you to…Be nice, please. Buby is here and
Buby annoys me. If you come in, it will change, sir... I’ll be pleased if
you are here, sir... I’ll be pleased with you, sir! Would you like some?
DYONYSOS Good.

PIT imitates Good! Phone rings again, insistently „Good!“Repeating,

somewhere between parody and game. Curtain starts coming down, first
applause from audience.

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3. UP: A BIRD’S EYE VIEW

Theatre applause fuses with a more distant bullfight applause.

Afternoon into evening. PIT sees through his binoculars how the crowd
leaves the bullring, way down. Shotgun ready, looks for his target,
regulates lens, moves binoculars away. Final sun rays emphasise his
silhouette and should help him track down his chosen human lump.
Suddenly, he hears footsteps nearby, takes his shotgun and aims at where
the unexpected visitor will turn up.

MÁÑEZ walks in, tired of so many steps. Pit puts down the shotgun.

MÁÑEZ False alarm, the bird has flown.

PIT Has he already left? I saw … you alone, so …

MÁÑEZ He has not even come, someone must have tipped him off, dammit. What
I wouldn’t give to find out who the hell it was. I don’t understand … a
mole … it must have been a mole, I’m sure of that … but who? And
where? (He has trouble breathing, either because he is angry or tired)
Damn. Do you even know what a mole is?

PIT I have never … hunted one.

MÁÑEZ That’s all I needed today I don’t mean that kind of mole. I’m talking
about someone who found out about our plan and warned our bird. (He
breathes his fatigue heavily, sits on the edge of the roof)

PIT You could … have taken … the elevator. (He dismantles the gun.)

MÁÑEZ No elevators, I’ve already told you for no one. I don’t trust all that
modern junk.

PIT Me … neither. I’m … afraid of them.

MÁÑEZ The more discreet we are, the better. Listen to me you are in no danger,
we’ll see who has the guts to report us … you … but we either do it well

1
 or we don’t do it at all. There is a reason why we earned the reputation
for being the best organization in the country. They even talk about us
abroad. Do you know how they call us in Madrid? The Raid brigade.(He
imitates the spraying sound.) The Raid brigade we are as discreet as we
are effective. No one escapes. Do you follow me?

PIT No. (Mañez stares at him)

MÁÑEZ Of course you don’t. (Puts the half-smoked cigar back into his mouth and
lights it again) Maybe the bastard knows a thing or two about
bullfighting and therefore knew what was going to happen. Smelt a rat
(That reminds PIT of something, and he starts sniffing blatantly next to
MAÑEZ) What a boring bullfight that was! Outrageous If the great
Dominguín had to face a real bull he would shit his pants! Not one brave
pass. Didn’t you hear the booing from up here?

PIT Yes. (He goes on sniffing.)

MÁÑEZ What the fuck are you doing, boy?!

PIT Smelling.

MÁÑEZ You’re not going to tell me that the smell of cigars bothers you, are you?

PIT No.

MÁÑEZ What is it then? ( PIT does not answer; he can’t help smelling and
realises THERESA was right). You’re even worse than I thought …

PIT Yes.

MÃÑEZ Go ahead, smell all you want. I know I have a special smell. Some
women say I give off a distinctive, strong smell, typical of machos. I
suppose. They like it, that’s for sure. Wait a minute, you’re not … are
you?

PIT What?

1
MÁÑEZ You like women, don’t you, just like everybody else?

PIT Not … all of them.

MAÑEZ finally laughs. He feels great laughing at fools. PIT smiles with
him, but is not sure why. Mañez mutters as well, without being concerned
whether PIT can hear him.

MÁÑEZ Asshole! (Pause)

PIT And the … applause?

MÁÑEZ What applause?

PIT There was a loud applause … at the end. You could hear it from here.

MÁÑEZ How should I know? I suppose because the whole thing was over and,
for a beginner, he handled himself quite well; As for the rest what a load
of rubbish! (Looks below.) Good thing I have a Government pass, if I had
to pay … Well, they’d have it with me. People are still coming out of the
arena. (Looks around at the different places you can see from the roof).
You can’t complain.

PIT What?

MÁÑEZ The view, you won’t find it anywhere else in the city. From here you
control everything, the station, the bullring, the hotel, the park … the
movie theater … Don’t you feel just a bit … how shall I put this … a bit,
I hope He will forgive me for saying this, like God?

PIT No.

MÃÑEZ The dream of every hunter every prey in its place.

PIT I … prefer … hunting grounds.

MÁÑEZ I mean this, the urban landscape. It wasn’t easy to find, you know. I spent
almost a month looking for a place like this. And what’s more, a few
stories below, on the fifth floor, the Department of Information and

1
 Tourism has just moved in, what a cover up!. And on top of it, on this
side of the roof, a little stairway, like American apartments have, in case
you have to rush off. These modern buildings are equipped for anything.
Everything close at hand. But I still think it’s a bit high to …

PIT No, it’s … okay. I used to shoot from much further … in my village.

MÁÑEZ And did you always hit the mark?

PIT Almost always.

MÁÑEZ Almost is not good enough here, you know that now you always have to
hit the target.

PIT But there I used to shoot … bareback (without any help).

MÁÑEZ Bareback? You mean without telescopic sight?

PIT Yes … bang … bareback.

MÁÑEZ The rifle and that’s it.

PIT Not rifle …, shotgun …

MÁÑEZ What difference does it make?

PIT Without … this.

MÁÑEZ Telescopic sight …

PIT What for … A partridge. … Bang.

MÁÑEZ But you have to make sure you don’t miss these belong to another class.
We hunt big game.

PIT Okay.

MÁÑEZ Those bastards are sucking the life out of Spain. Here.

(He hands him an envelope.)

PIT But if …

1
MÁÑEZ It’s your job. You have been here for over two hours. You’ll see that it’s
not the full amount, it’s less. When you are through with the job you’ll
get another one. Another envelope I mean. In any case, there are fewer
and fewer of them left, which is good for everyone. And partly thanks to
you, to your shooting. ( PIT puts away the envelope.) One day, when your
get older, you’ll think about all this and heave a sigh of pride, like this
(he inhales and exhales from his cigar). You’ll tell your grandchildren I
purged the motherland of vermin.

PIT I … have to go, there’s … a show on.

MÁÑEZ Calm down, you still have time. You have my permission to arrive a few
minutes late.

PIT It’s just that … there are a lot of people down there. It’s going to take me
some time … to cross the street to … the theater and … they won’t start
until I … arrive.

MÁÑEZ You are what you are, but nobody can beat you at being professional …

PIT I … like to be there a bit early … you know … to get everything ready.

MÁÑEZ And what do you spend the money on? Whores?

PIT No.

MÚÑEZ God knows what you do with it. Do you send it to the village?

PIT I’ve been doing that … now for …

MÁÑEZ Pardon, for how long?

PIT Almost … a year.

MÁÑEZ I see. ( Pit does not answer; he wants to leave). I don’t care what you do,
as long as you, as el Generalísimo says … You know who I’m talking
about, don’t you?

1
PIT I think … I do … well, more or less … People talk a lot about … him.
That … short man with his moustache … who likes reservoirs…
Mañez smiles

MÁÑEZ Him, yes, follow the orders of that little but great man el Generalísimo.
You should do what he does: not get involved in politics. If we just
followed his advice these things wouldn’t be happening and you and I
wouldn’t be talking here, on this roof, hunting down undesirable
elements. Listen to me, we still have a long way to go if we want to re-
build this nation that a few wanted to sink in poverty. There’s more to it
than just purging it of vultures, as some think, but together, and with your
help … What do you call this (the shotgun), I always forget?

PIT Sarasqueta.

MÁÑEZ That sounds Basque.

PIT I don’t know … It … was a gift from my uncle … a long time ago.

MÁÑEZ With the help of your Sarasqueta we’ll get there.

PIT (Imitating Dionysus, again) Okay! (He is going to leave.)

MÁÑEZ Just one more thing don’t think we’ll just forget about this bird he is a
big shot, smarter that the rest, that’s why he is one their leaders. Doesn’t
make any difference to me, he won’t escape us, I bet my balls he won’t.
Be ready! All right? As soon as I know something we’ll meet where we
always do and I’ll inform you. ( PIT agrees.) So you like my smell...
well, well.

PIT smiles; he knows a smile always pleases everyone. He leaves with

his briefcase. Máñez stares at him, puffs at his cigar and looks at his
favourite landscape: everything at his feet, under control.

1
4 DOWN: THE BOTTOM (ARSE) OF THE WORLD’S BOTTOM

Vidal, an old prompter, has switched on the table lamp and is browsing
through the book which is on the table. Next to him, he has put a small
packet. The performance has not started yet, the stage curtain is down.
The audience can be heard, starting to fill the stalls.
Theresa is going down the spiral staircase, already dressed as Paula.
She is carrying a bunch of daisies put in a small vase. She is taking the
steps in a rush, thinking that she is going to meet with Pit.
THERESA Vidal!
VIDAL Come, come, my sweet muse. What a surprise!
He stands up. They embrace each other warmly.
Regarding the flowers
Are they for me?
Theresa places them next to the book.
THERESA If I had known you were here, I would have brought some more. I just
wanted to see if they could bring a bit of happiness to this dump…
anyway… which way did you come in? I haven’t seen you passing
through the dressing room.
VIDAL My sweet Theresa… There are no secrets for me in this theatre.
THERESA Don’t tell me there are some secret doors leading to this place…
VIDAL …and secret passages, and a very handsome phantom who is longing for
actresses who are old enough to...
THERESA Don’t be silly…Listen, you look terrific, I still find you so young.
VIDAL How well can actresses lie… You are beautiful as always, slightly
slimmer, I still find you so gorgeous.
THERESA Honestly, I think you look really well, it is obvious, when you lead a
healthy life and do not even condescend to visit us once in a while…
VIDAL Don’t think that I didn’t want to… I have told you many times that
theatre is bad for health. Well…for some of us, we can’t help it...
THERESA Then why you haven’t dropped by since the season has started… you’re
such a bad friend… if you only knew how some of us have missed you…
VIDAL I was in the village, because of Wizner. Since I hadn’t been able to say
goodbye while he was alive, I did it by bringing him some things to his

1
 grave. I owed him a proper visit. … And would you believe it… I did the
whole season there… until the cold started breaking my bones. Talking
of Wizner… Where the hell is Pit hiding?
THERESA That is what I would like to know. I came here to see him as well.
VIDAL How is he?
THERESA As usual. When I saw him for the last time, he still had this heart of gold.
And he is still so good.
VIDAL What is it that makes him so good?
THERESA What do you have on your dirty mind, you naughty boy! He is like a kid.
VIDAL A kid with a man’s body, don’t you forget it.
THERESA You know I was referring to everything that you have taught him. He is
almost as good a prompter as you are. You know how hard he finds it to
speak; however, he goes up and leans out of the box and his voice won’t
even quiver a little.
VIDAL (He is showing her a book). Do you see this book?
THERESA I discovered it a few days ago.
VIDAL You might find it difficult to believe, but this is the only one he has read
in his whole life. He knows it from cover to cover. Wizner told me he
taught Pit how to read with it. Obviously it is about hunting, the stories
of the hunters of the Russian steppe, nothing else. Every day his uncle
would make him read a few pages aloud. All his training comes from this
book. Nothing more is needed. That’s why I have no doubts that he will
be a good prompter.
THERESA He had the best teacher.
VIDAL I taught him four things. When good, old Wizner told me that he was
going to pass away and I should give his nephew a hand, I thought that a
storm was coming over me. When I saw Pit for the first time, I wondered
what the hell I could do with him. I know my village very well: it has
only given birth to simple and ignorant beasts. But Pit, because of what
he’s been through… The thing is that, at first, he might look dumb, but it
is misleading. He is a brain box, better than the two of us together.
THERESA And with such a good heart...
VIDAL He takes after his uncle in that…May he rest in peace.
THERESA I think I should go up and call the prompter in the wings.

1
VIDAL Something must have kept him busy. Don’t worry, he knows he needs to
be here half an hour before…
THERESA And he always is. Before make-up he is already down here to prepare his
things. I’ll go up there for a moment and be with you in a second. I don’t
go on stage until page ten.
VIDAL Don’t say anything. They won’t notice, and then he’ll skip the fat man’s
screams. What are you doing tonight?
THERESA You haven’t seen it at the entrance?
VIDAL No.
THERESA Well… how did you get in?
VIDAL Through the backstage. How would I otherwise…?
THERESA Liar, I would have seen you. (The elder man smiles). Three Top-Hats, but
you know the Skunk, we have taken four more plays of repertory and
alternate them. That’s when we don’t have to stay to rehearse in the
evening.
VIDAL That’s great. Don’t you ever forget that repertory is the prompter’s daily
bread. The day it ends, the cue card (prompter) will be the first on the
street, and our trade will have come to an end. So the more repertory, the
more work.
THERESA I am not complaining about it, Vidal, but you might know what kind of
repertory we are dealing with…
VIDAL Don Juan…
THERESA Can you imagine…
VIDAL For sure A Saint in the Hurry.
THERESA And the rest is more less the same, just to tell you that we withdrew
Passion Flower because the censors pulled a long face the day they saw
it in rehearsal. We’ll be on this diet for many years.
VIDAL What can we do about it?.
THERESA Put up with it. (She looks around and notices how squalid it all is). This
is the second time I’ve visited your ‘bottom’s bottom’. You chose a good
name for it.
VIDAL The bottom (arse) of the bottom’s end, yes my lady. Theatre is already the
world’s bottom, so this… You can imagine.
THERESA And for sure you made up Pit’s name as well .

1
VIDAL Nobody has made it up. Pit is his name .
THERESA Isn’t it a nickname?
VIDAL No, his uncle gave him that name when he rescued him from that damn
black cesspit. Hasn’t he told you about it?
THERESA You know that he doesn’t talk that much.
VIDAL Pit couldn’t be more than three years old. His mother must have left him
there, one of those shallow pits you see a lot of in the countryside. And
good, old Wizner, he told me this himself, one night, when he was
coming back from hunting, he heard something like a groan. He said it
seemed more like a meowing of a crying cat. And there was this kid,
frozen to death, with hardly any breath left to cry. Since Wizner has
always lived like a lone wolf; he took the kid to his house, looked after
him and, among other things, found him a name: Pit. Creativity was
never his forte. Thanks goodness he didn’t find him in a toilet, he might
have called him John. Who knows how long that poor kid had been lying
there. He could not speak for the following two years. He does really
well, considering the circumstances.
THERESA So… his uncle Wizner is not his real uncle.
VIDAL Winzer has been his uncle, his father, his teacher and his mother who
gave birth to him. The soil is for those who work it, don’t you agree?
THERESA Certainly. Now I understand why he feels so comfortable in this lion’s
den.
VIDAL It’s as good a place as any other. You get used to it after a while.
THERESA I hope he will like the daisies. (Pause). So, till Pit gets back, Princesa
theatre proudly presents his precious replacement, the best prompter in
Valencia! The best in Spain!
VIDAL Whose eyesight gets worse by the day, but I will manage. (Theresa gives
him a kiss on his forehead). And you, do you still see red?
THERESA In my own way…
VIDAL There are few of you left.
THERESA Still enough.
VIDAL Be careful, it is getting more and more dangerous.
THERESA I know Vidal, I know, but it is always better to do something than to sit
on our hands and do nothing.

1
VIDAL There isn’t much to do. This is more like a bad play still being staged
without anybody knowing why. So many of us would like to change it,
but the theatre manager doesn’t want to, and you end up giving it all up.
And it may reach a thousand performances or more.
THERESA God forbid it.
VIDAL No, the worst thing is that He is on his side.
THERESA And what is left from this old scatterbrained anarchist who turned my
head?
VIDAL The same that is left for everybody else: resignation, and dreams. I have
fought enough. Everything I loved has died on me or has been killed,
what am I going to tell you, you know it all, even a son. Now I believe
only in miracles.
THERESA You? Miracles?
VIDAL A miracle, there is an earthquake and… I don’t know why the hell, it only
swallows the fascists who live on the face of the Earth, and the rest is left
as if nothing has happened. Call it a dream if you want. I already know
that it is not going to happen but I need something to keep me alive.
(Pause.)
THERESA Don’t think that I do that much, either, but I can always lend a hand.
(Pause. They smile and look at each other).
VIDAL The next staging…
THERESA A conference, the fifth I believe, but don’t take me too seriously, they
won’t let me get into any troubles, and might be even better if you don’t
know either. They’ve shrouded it in mystery, they are making
preparations. They say it’s better not to know a lot, in case they catch
you. The secret police are artists at making you squeal.. .
VIDAL Yeah, they could make you squeal La Traviata...
THERESA The most I manage to do is to pass information, if there is a chance to.
VIDAL That is good enough. And how do you get it?
THERESA Putting up with smells, among other things.
VIDAL Yeah. The Skunk.
THERESA You already know who eats the stage; he is like a termite. Just when you
left the Brigade paid him a visit. Now, we don’t have any more doubts,
he is one of them and uses theatre to do his wheeling and dealing. And

2
 here I come in, you men loosen your tongues in bed. As you just said;
what can we do? We women have dynamite between our legs. (A bell
rings twice) Three minutes left.
VIDAL Well, I will start preparing myself.
(He is looking for a libretto of Three Top-Hats).
THERESA Then, is it true that there are secret passages here and…?
VIDAL A few. Do you really want to know about them?
THERESA Yes.
VIDAL You need to speak to him about it.
Pit has suddenly appeared, like a ghost. He has gotten rid of thebriefcase
and coat he had in the previous scene. He seems to have been running
the marathon. He coughs twice.
THERESA (After the fright.) Pit! I haven’t seen you coming down…! This time it
was you who scared me…!
PIT Was it the last call?
VIDAL You arrive on time, fellow; the first has just rung.
PIT Thank God…Hello…Theresa. Hello, Vidal… how are you?
VIDAL I’m fine. I’m fine, and you?
PIT Sweating…because of…the running around. (He does not know what to
do. He feels like hugging him. Vidal stands up and, after a brief gesture,
they hug.) Where…have you been?
VIDAL In the village, visiting your uncle.
PIT Are there any flowers?
Vic. All the time.
PIT Gertrude. I told her to go there every week…to put them.
VIDAL Smell! (Shows him the parcel of pastry on the table).
PIT Winds!
VIDAL From the chapel’s oven.
PIT Can’t find this pastry in Valencia
[He looks at Theresa. Sees the flowers]
THERESA I have brought you these flowers.
PIT They are…very nice.
VIDAL I will go upstairs. Got a lot of people to say hello to. I’ll be back in a
moment.

2
PIT In the interval. And we shall eat all the winds.
VIDAL kisses THERESA. He wants to go upstairs but stops after looking
at her. He tells PIT...
VIDAL Theresa is reliable. And I am too old for this stuff.
(He leaves through a side door, we hear the sound of a door opening,
door which is concealed among heaps in the basement)
THERESA This basement is quite something. (PIT smiles.)
PIT Nobody knows about it... practically.
[A long ring. The last call. Show is about to begin. Pit takes the libretto]
Thirteen pages.
THERESA Enough for us to have a little chat.
PIT I have to…follow the text.
(In the corner of the stage that we can see, the curtain goes up and light
comes through. We hear some applause from the audience when the
actors playing Mr. Rosary and Dionysos enter.)
MR. ROSARY'S VOICE Come in, Dionysos. We have put your luggage in this
room here.
DIONYSOS' VOICE Well, it is a very nice room, Mr. Rosary.
(Dialogue continues. Pit is hidden under the shell, following the text.
Theresa, by the stairs, whispers...)
THERESA These two never mess it up.
PIT Just in case. Don Manuel may forget, he is…very old.
THERESA Definitely not. I’ve known him for quite a long time
PIT And Tony?
THERESA That bighead? He has the brains of a toad but the memory of an elephant.
[Pause] I have to talk to you. Now. I’m sorry.
(Pit looks at Theresa and realises she’s going through bad times. He goes
down a couple of steps to get closer to her. He wants to follow the
performance and look into her eyes. Impossible.) I need you.
PIT Me?
THERESA Yes. I need you to do me a favour, a really big one.
PIT What favour?
THERESA That you hide a friend.
PIT A friend…

2
THERESA Yes.
PIT Your boyfriend.
THERESA No.
PIT You…like him a lot.
THERESA Yes.
PIT But he is not your boyfriend.
THERESA No!
PIT Your…brother…
THERESA I said he’s a friend, a very special one. Don’t you ask me any questions,
please!
[Pause]
PIT Hide him?
THERESA Yes.
PIT He can come to the hostel…with me… As for Mrs. Remedy…
probably…she won’t mind.
THERESA No, I don’t mean that type of hiding-place. It would be a suicide for
everyone, and I don’t want this to affect you, either. What I want is, that
you hide him here. For sure there must be a corner for him to stay. This is
full of twists and turns.
PIT Of what?
THERESA Of places where he could spend some days while...
PIT What?
THERESA If we don’t hide him now, he won’t be able to hide ever again, I think.
PIT And why does he want to hide? Has he done anything wrong?
THERESA No! Quite the contrary.
PIT …
THERESA He is a good guy and is fighting for freedom, for all of us…
PIT For me?
THERESA For you as well.
PIT But I am…free.
THERESA There are many kinds of freedom, Pit. One day you will understand.
[Pause]
PIT All right.

2
THERESA I knew I could count on you.(As PIT is looking at the stage she kisses
him slightly in the back of his neck)
PIT When?
THERESA Tomorrow, or the day after. Right now he is going here and there, trying
to cover his tracks. They are dogging his heels.
PIT Who?
THERESA Please, don’t make it any harder for me. You are better off not knowing,
okay?
PIT Okay.
THERESA I will let you know
PIT You will…let me know. I will look for a...twist and turn for him…there
in the back.
THERESA You are such a sweatheart! […She shows him a scarf before leaving]
Look. (Pit turns round and sees it. She puts it round her neck) I found it
on my dressing table a while ago. The latest gift from Skunk, I suppose:
it suddenly appeared. If he goes on that way, he’ll go bankrupt. It is made
of Chinese silk.
PIT You are…very beautiful.
THERESA You think so?
PIT Without the scarf…you are…also…very beautiful.
THERESA That is how you see me, as a good friend that you are.
PIT Yes. (She smiles at Pit’s innocence. PIT smiles back. He goes back up the
two steps. She is about to leave.)
THERESA You are lovable, Pit. Very much so.
(He pretends not to be listening, but a shiver goes up his spine. On stage,
Mr. Rosary is still looking after his customer. Some laughs can be heard
from the audience. THERESA goes up the spiral staircase. She stops for
a few seconds to open the trap-door that closes the basement. PIT turns
round and looks at her lovely calves magically lit by two beams coming
from above. The prompter tries to concentrate on the text. It is getting
darker in the basement. Last thing to disappear are Theresa’s legs.
Action continues on stage, light is getting brighter. Dialogues mix with
cheerful music coming from the gramophone because we are now in the
ball, way into the party opening the second act. We see Theresa’s calves

2
 again, now dancing on stage, now moving away, leaving room for the
actress playing Fanny.)

FANNY'S VOICE Come on , you stupid fool.

AGED SOLDIER'S VOICE Oh, how funny, how graceful you are, pretty Miss.
(Military boots come very close to the high heels dancing charleston. The
old soldier treads on a dead rabbit the hunter has just left there.
Playwright’s originality. The soldier kicks the rabbit. The basement is lit
again. VIDAL is next to PIT. They watch the party. Pit holds the libretto
with one hand and nibbles the pastry he has in the other one. Vidal and
Pit are also having a party)

VIDAL We shall know them by their calves. The book of Adam, first versicle,
final chapter. Calves are the women’s thermometer. Bear that in mind.
Consider this. Look. [Calves of the actresses pass by in front of them]
The Claramount: nothing special. Look a bit further up the heel. What do
you see?
PIT Some little holes.
VIDAL Weakness. Too bony, no class, ungraceful. What else do you see?
PIT I…don’t know.
VIDAL Colour.
PIT White.
VIDAL There are a lot of types of white: they can be pale white, purple white,
cinnamon white or…even…like snow. Did you know that Eskimos can
tell apart I don’t know how many types of colour in the snow?
PIT In the Negral woods there are as well lots of colours in the soil, and
foreigners can’t see them.
VIDAL So, you have to learn to recognise the colours of your actresses’ calves.
That’s quite important. Like snow, or the ochre of the Negral woods.
Then…which white?
PIT White…white
VIDAL Fine. That means bad tempered and fussy. Run away. Don’t trust her.
Danger. She looks as if butter would not melt in her mouth but she’ll end
up sucking your blood.. Get away. Let’s go to another. That one:

2
PIT Madame Olga. Felicity Espuch.
VIDAL I will start: athletic and mature.
PIT And they’ve got blue dots.
VIDAL That’s right, you are learning. Actually, they have lost a bit of their
lushness, but still she is the same female. Look how perfectly they
contrast with the instep, as it should be. If I told you half the story: she
has had the whole company; male, that is. I was first. Those calves, still
full of life; no matter how many varicose veins they have.The best
merchandise; kind and generous all in one. Reliable. The Espuch! (It’s
Teresa's turn now) Teresa, Teresa my dear. Let’s see.
PIT: ...Beautiful.

VIDAL: Obviously. They are like an open book.

PIT: You, Vidal, you …you know… something’s happening to me.. I don’t

know how to..

VIDAL: You feel a tickling rising from the stomach. When I was young this

happened to me as well.

PIT: And also down here. Here.

Vidal looks at Pit's crotch and bursts out laughing, and then puts his

hand over his mouth so that they won't hear him upstairs. Pit swallows

up the piece of 'wind' he had left, and puts his now free hand over his

crotch

VIDAL: That’s wild, son. That’s already another story. Step on the break, boy,

cool down.

PIT: This … only happens … with Teresa's calves..

VIDAL: And when a slut comes on stage without her knickers on?

PIT: Without her knickers on?

VIDAL: Don’t you tell me you haven’t noticed?

PIT: Not me ...no. I don’t look above the …knee…

2
VIDAL: Look above, son, look above. It’s worth it. What a great show you’ll see!

But, of course they are doing it for us. They know that we’re the only ones who have

access to their hidden… treasures. And, as well, that’s their way of saying they want

some butter.

PIT: Butter?

VIDAL: In a figurative sense.

PIT: Oh yeah...! I understood it right… butter. (He makes a pubic movement

innocently. Vidal smiles)

VIDAL: The problem is when two of them leave their knickers in the dressing-

room at the same time. Or three. Then a choice has to be made. And you have to pay

attention to the text, don’t forget that either. And they say we don't work hard. You'll

find out.

PIT: In my case...it only happens with… Teresa.

VIDAL: It has struck you hard, hmmm? It will go away.

PIT: No. (He still tries to cover his crotch with his hand.)

VIDAL: You don’t have to be ashamed. Some kind of privilege we as prompters

should have, don’t you think?

PIT: Tell me about… her calves. I… like it. Teach me.

VIDAL: Rosy, tight, rising curve… you can't even imagine what that means…

PIT What?

VIDAL Her tits stick out. They are not hanging down. Did you get to meet

Fuensanta in our village? (Pit nods affirmatively) That woman could read

the lines of your palms like no one else. I read women's calves. Believe

me. I don’t make mistakes.

PIT: I want you to teach me.

2
VIDAL: Time will teach you.

PIT: Go on.

VIDAL: Where were we?

PIT: With her...

VIDAL: Right, exactly, that they don’t hang down, you bet!

PIT: More.

VIDAL: She’s intelligent and sensitive, even though she’s a little stubborn.

Passionate, very passionate. (Pit is so absorbed that he does not realise

that someone on stage is asking for a prompt. Vidal helps and the scene

continues. Pit takes the libretto and tries to follow the text.) Now you

have to tell me something about Teresa's calves. It’s your turn, tell me

something, the first thing that comes to your mind. And so we get to the

end with this lesson.

PIT: (Still looking at the libretto.) Marzipan.

VIDAL: It’s true; they are edible. Tell me more.

PIT: One morning hunting.. in springtime…my dog Chufa by my side… and

the sun rising slowly… through the wickerwork.

VIDAL: Not bad, not bad at all. Boy, you’re a hunter with balls.

PIT: Yes.

VIDAL: When I was in the casino in our village, I saw a photo of you with your

dog and Wizner… the day they gave you the prize. You weren’t more

than 15 years old and already a first-rate hunter. You look like Buffalo

Bill after having killed a hundred buffalos. I imagine you miss that... the

hunting, I mean. In Valencia there are good hunters as well… you could

go out with one of them one day.

2
PIT: I… I’m already doing that, Vidal, I am.

VIDAL: And where do you go to?

PIT: I don’t know, high, real high.

(Pause. The second act continues. Vidal takes out a silver necklace and

wants to give it to Pit.)

VIDAL I’d forgotten this. A woman I met by chance at the graveyard gave it to

me to hand it over to you when I saw you again.

PIT: What was she like?

VIDAL: Tall… mourning for someone.. and she never looked into your eyes, just

like you.

PIT: Keep it. I… I don’t want it.

VIDAL: Do you know her?

PIT: Slightly.

VIDAL: She could be your mother..

PIT: My… mother was called… Wizner.

(Vidal puts the necklace back into his pocket. Pit goes on to the next

page. He looks serious now. It is getting dark in the box. Voices and

noise decrease gradually. Dionysos is ending his monologue.)

DIONYSOS’ VOICE:…I want somebody to tell me why this black man is sleeping in

my bed! I don’t know why this black man or this bearded woman have

come in here…!

PAULA’S VOICE: Dionysos! Toninii! What are you doing?

DIONYSOS’ VOICE:I’ve been talking to this fiend of mine. I’m not Tonini, and I’m

not this dead kid… I don’t know you… I don’t know anybody… Bye…

good night…

2
 (The audience applauds, not very enthusiastically, when Dionysos leaves

the stage, and you can hardly hear Paula/Theresa's voice trying to stop

him. The gramophone plays music again, which dissolves with the final

applause as the lights go out on the stage of the Theatre Princesa. This

darkness coincides with the lighting of the box below. Mañez is standing,

has just switched on the light, and looks at Pit sleeping on the sofa. The

prompter opens his eyes. Mañez is wiping off some lipstick marks and a

couple of slightly bleeding scratches with the scarf Theresa showed him

earlier.)

MAÑEZ: I knew I’d find you here.

PIT: What... happened to you?

MAÑEZ: You see, you can’t trust pussy cats. First they are flattering and cuddly

and at the slightest neglect, zap, they stick out their claws...

PIT: (He stands up.) I... have fallen asleep.

MAÑEZ: The show finished two hours ago. There’s nobody left upstairs. (He can

see leftovers of ‘winds’ strewn on the table.) this place looks more and

more like a pigsty. (Pit starts tidying up.) Business: Tomorrow. At about

10pm. The wise guy is apparently more stupid than I believed.

PIT: But… at 10… there’s a performance.

MAÑEZ: Forget it. I’ve been talking to Vidal and he’ll replace you. First things

first.

PIT: You know.. I've never missed a…

MAÑEZ: Damn, Pit, it’s almost two o'clock and I’m not in a mood for silly jokes.

I’m talking to you about something that has to do with the security of the

state and you worry about a fucking show… Tell me what the heck do I

3
 have to do so that you’ll understand. (Pause.) – Tomorrow – Bang. And

let’s move on, with one asshole less getting on our nerves. The same guy

who was joking about us will bite the dust this evening, crushed like a

rat. There are still some who refuse to accept defeat, as if they couldn’t

admit the success of our glorious uprising. Well, they have been asking

for it. (Pause.) I’m just asking you to shoot the way you always do,

nothing else. (Pit looks dumbly.) All right?

PIT: All… right. (Pause.) There is… still some blood on… your face.

(Máñez touches his lip with his index finger and then puts it in his mouth.

He tastes it.)

MAÑEZ: Tastes great mixed with lipstick. (Throws the scarf on the floor.) And

now you’ve got to listen well: Don’t take your eyes off the Hotel

Metropol. You already know where the exit is, right? (Pit nods.) We do it

like we always do. I come out first and light a cigar. And then – let’s say

fifteen seconds, no more: -the prey. This time we can’t let him escape.

You’re too good a hunter to let such a lousy prey escape. (Pit nods.)

Good boy. Even though you don’t understand anything you are doing a

great service to your country son. There are heroes in History books with

capital letters: Franco, El Cid,… but for other people like you and me

there are only footnotes; however, Destiny, God and, in one word, the

History of this crusade in capital letters will appreciate it. Do you get the

picture?

PIT: No.

MAÑEZ: Action speaks louder than words.

PIT: This... I do understand... I guess.

3
MAÑEZ: Then you do understand everything. (Pit leaves through where Vidal has

left earlier.) At 10. Piece of cake. Moles to Mañez, ha, let them come!

Afterwards return to the theatre, real cool. Easy man, no need to rush.

Surely you’ll be back before the show’s over. And if you wish, you can

take over from the old guy and that's it.

PIT: (Pit is back with his briefcase. He smiles.) I’ll be back... at the end of the

second act.

MAÑEZ: Of course, dude, of course. That’s the way I like it. (A couple of taps on

his shoulder.) Any further questions? (Pit nods `no') You won’t let me

down now, right? (Pit insists: ‘no’) I’ve always trusted you. (Pause.)

You lock the doors. I’m dead tired. (Mañez puts into his mouth half a

‘wind’ that was left on the table.) Fuck, they taste good these...

PIT: Winds… they… are called.. winds.

MAÑEZ: Winds? My god – you village people, are strange? See you tomorrow.

(Pit sees him leave through the false door. He picks up Theresa's scarf

and smells it.)

5ABOVE: ONE OWL, TWO SHOTS

3
 A very similar picture to the beginning, being composed gradually as the Town Hall

clock strikes ten. Bright and cold night. Pit is above, facing the audience, shotgun is

fixed, left leaning on the edge of the rooftop. Focuses binoculars on a specific point

towards the door of the restaurant and waits for a few seconds. He coughs. We

hardly hear any city sounds: a car, a lost voice, people entering or leaving the

station… He looks at the clock: on the dot. He blows steam towards the stars as if it

were Mañez smoking. He pretends to be smoking a cigar. More steam. Cough.

Something draws his attention: the time has come. He leaves the binoculars and

takes the shotgun. Regulates the telescopic sight and does ‘bang!’ with his mouth.

He smiles.

He does it again: ‘bang, bang!’

He unfastens the safety catch. He is serious now, stone-faced. He waits for ten

seconds. He breathes deeply, balances his shoulder, presses the shot gun suitably

against it. He starts pointing down and raises it a few centimetres.

He shoots once.

Again.

He leaves his shotgun and picks up his binoculars to check that he hit his target.

More steam, he sees it go up to the stars and realises he must hurry if he wants to be

on time.

He starts dismantling his Sarasqueta very skilfully and putting all its pieces in his

briefcase. Below we here a distant rumour: surprise for a death that will never

reach the newspapers.

It gets dark while Pit finishes fitting the pieces of his puzzle. It is a puzzle.

6
DOWN: DOWN BELOW

3
 The second act is over. In the interval, Vidal is snoozing in one corner of
the sofa, hugging the libretto. Pit arrives, coming in through the hidden
door, and he has time to put away the briefcase, put still has his coat, cap
and gloves on. Very carefully he takes the libretto from Vidal’s hands and
goes towards his working post. He is looking for the page where they
have stopped. Vidal wakes up.
VIDAL You could have gone straight to the hostel. (Pit hangs his clothes on the
hanger.) You must be tired. I did not even have to mutter a thing.
PIT And the new one?
VIDAL Terrible, but she knows the text (Pause.) And work?
PIT Fine.
VIDAL The boss told me he had taken you on.
PIT Yes.
VIDAL Extra money, isn’t it?
PIT Extra…money.
VIDAL They haven’t called from above yet, we still have a couple of minutes.
But leave that libretto and look into my eyes. Some day you will have to
start looking face to face.
PIT It is… difficult for me. (He tries helplessly to look into Vidal’s eyes.)
VIDAL I am not that boar…
PIT He told you.
VIDAL Nothing you should be ashamed of. I asked him if he knew why you were
always with your head down. That’s no good, Pit, no good, you know
how much I like you. That’s how cowards look at you, or people who
have something to hide. You are not one of those. And he told me. He
told me that animal would have killed you if he hadn’t been by your side.
You couldn’t shoot at it, and it was coming straight towards you. Wizner
kept on screaming ‘shoot, shoot!’. And you didn’t.
PIT That animal was looking straight into my eyes… and it hurt.
VIDAL What hurt?
PIT Death. It was written all over it.
(In its eyes. In the boar’s. Pit raises his head to show him, but lowers it
again.)

3
VIDAL Well, if your uncle had not pulled the trigger, you would not be here now,
telling me about it.
PIT Yes.
VIDAL Some of us haven’t got death written in our eyes, son.
PIT I… know. (Pit looks restless.)
VIDAL All right. All right. Cool off, look at what you wish, as far as I’m
concerned. I suppose what you do is normal. I also did it.
PIT (Surprised.) You did?
VIDAL Of course. How do you expect to survive with the shit they pay here to do
this. How could I have fed my family otherwise? We all earn a living
where we can or are allowed to.
PIT Where… we can.
VIDAL I was always with the odd job here and there. In the theatre: helping with
the stage, giving the attrezzo people a hand, in the booking office,
wherever. In the end you learn a bit of everything, you know, in the
theatre, jack of all trades. Don’t let that happen to you, Pit, don’t let them
push you around. If he wants to, he can make you work, but he must pay
for it. Otherwise, you’ll be his fool most of the time. We are artists.
Remember lesson number one.
PIT Yes. At… the door of…
VIDAL That’s it, I took you there. You were trembling when we got to that door
and I told you to read:
PIT ‘Artists’
VIDAL And I told you…
(It’s like a memory game. Pit enjoys it.)
PIT ‘Go in’.
VIDAL Those of us who go through that door are all the same, whether it is the
usherette, the director, the first lady or the stage hand.
PIT Everybody?
VIDAL Even us.
PIT The prompters.
VIDAL At that moment the Skunk was walking by and then…
PIT Also Mañez?
VIDAL The exception to prove the rule, son. I don’t think you understood that.

3
PIT Now… I do
VIDAL That’s it. You are an artist. And don’t let him push you around.
PIT He pays me well.
VIDAL The Skunk pays you well?
PIT Yes.
VIDAL That’s strange. To do the odd job?
PIT We go out… hunting.
VIDAL At night.
PIT It depends… also during the day… or in the evening.
VIDAL If one feels peckish at any time of the day…
PIT Yes.
VIDAL Here. (He is going to give him some money.) They gave me this for the
bracelet. I was not going to throw it into the dustbin…
PIT I don’t want it, keep it.
VIDAL I need the money; you can’t imagine how little I get from the union’s
pension… artists union… what the fuck… If they knew what a union is,
and what an artist is. So don’t tell me twice…
PIT Keep it, keep it… (He smiles.) I said it… twice.
(The old man smiles as well and keeps the money. Pause. The third act is
going to begin. Pit is getting ready. Vidal remembers something
important.)
VIDAL Bloody memory. Teresa has been here. She must be the only one who
knew about the replacement. She had to talk to you right away, she was
very nervous with all her business. I told her you might come back for
the final act, and she told me that if you got here before it started, you
should walk up to the shell while it was still dark.
(Pit goes up the step. There is no light yet on stage. In the darkness we
see Teresa leaning on the shell and whispering.)
THERESA Vidal! Has Pit arrived?
PIT I am here, Teresa. What are you…doing there? We are going to… start
now!
THERESA I’ve told the stage hands to give me a minute. I have no time to spare, Pit,
listen, it is very important. Tonight, once the show is over. At the artists
door.

3
VIDAL Wow!
THERESA What?
VIDAL A private joke of ours.
THERESA He has a beard and will be carrying a small bag. Here is a photograph of
him; it is a bit blurred, though. Attention to the coat: he’ll be wearing the
same one. (She shows the photograph to him. He takes it.) Hide it well.
In a few days I’ll visit you. God, be very careful, Pit. They are looking
for him everywhere.(Theresa crawls back and hides under a bed. From
there she raises her voice high enough so that Pit can hear her.) Pit!
PIT What?
The gramophone starts playing on stage.
THERESA I like you a lot!
Music plays louder and light comes in. The angle of vision of the stage
allows us to go on seeing Teresa's body, who is now Paula, once
Dionysos tries to hide her under his bed away from Buby's pressure.
Theresa sends Pit a kiss with her hand.
Mr. Rosary screams off stage.
MR. ROSARY'S VOICE Dionysos! Dionysos! Open, it's me! I am Mr. Rosary! I am
Mr. Rosary!
DIONYSOS' VOICE I am coming.
Theresa smiles from her hiding place while the dialogue between
Dionysos and his future father-in-law takes place. Pit follows the text. He
has trouble keeping his eyes away from the girl. Vidal comes close.
VIDAL Has Mañez told you about the tour?
PIT What tour?
VIDAL The tour. You're going on tour.
PIT Where?
VIDAL Don't know; north, I think. Your first tour, the best.
PIT When?
VIDAL After this weekend. I envy you.
PIT Why?
VIDAL Because for a prompter there's nothing better. In that moment they can't
do without us. You're going with a repertoire: in the afternoon you do one
play, and in the evening you might do another one. Day after day. And

3
 that's when their memory starts going, and we come in. They know they
are lost without us. You'll tell the difference.
PIT How?
VIDAL They look at you in a different way. You stop being the last shit; now you
are valuable. Bloody well think so. And there's the odd allowance. And
the hostels.
PIT The... hostels.
VIDAL At night, after the show. Not always, because sometimes you'll be
travelling, or you'll spend the night at the station and you won't have time
for a stop; but when you do stop, you stop well. And however mucky the
hostel may be, there's always time for... For...
PIT Yes... butter. In a figurative sense.
VIDAL That's it, butter. You'll have more than you ever dreamt of. Keep an eye
on the knickers. On those who don't wear them, I mean. And remember
what I told you.
PIT I... don't...
VIDAL Who knows, Pit, who knows.
Pit looks at Theresa and then at the photograph for the first time. It
reminds him of something. On the cyclorama, inside the circle, we see
the tail end of a coat. Theresa looks at Pit and sometimes plays jokes on
him making faces underneath. The space between both prompters goes
dark. We then see Theresa's face, which looks doubtful. She doesn't know
why she feels so sad. The picture disappears and the dialogue continues
after it goes completely dark.

7 DOWN FIRST AND FINAL ACT

3
 Without hardly any pause the telephone rings on stage, which is being
progressively lit. We are back at the end of act one, in the performance of
the following day.
VOICE OF DIONYSUS It’s Margaret!
PAULA/ THERESA Do you want to come in?
VOICE OF DIONYSUS No.
There’s an untimely pause, silence that should not be there. Theresa’s
voice has no brightness, she somehow feigns the fact that she can no
longer be funny Paula.
PAULA/ THERESA Come in, we are inviting you, we’ll have a pleasant time.
VOICE OF DIONYSUS I’m tired…No.
More silence, Paula cannot follow the pace of the dialogue. The prompt
box is lit and we see pit prompting, trying to help Theresa. He is wearing
a different shirt from the last scene, and his coat has vanished from the
hanger.
PIT Anyway, anyway we’re not going to let you sleep! Anyway!
Still more silence mixed with a buzz from the disapproving audience.
Vidal turns up with a small bag with groceries. He approaches Pit, too
worried about what is happening on stage. Paula finally gets started.
PAULA/ THERESA Anyway, we’re not going to let you sleep!
Pit sighs with relief. he coughs, closes the booklet and follows Theresa’s
dialogue by heart
VIDAL What a nice projection, I always said you were going to be one of the
finest prompters. And the stressing, perfect. I’ve come to say goodbye.
Tomorrow you’re closing down, right?
Pit keeps on looking worried at the stage.
VOICE OF DIONYSUS I’m tired.
PAULA/ THERESA Come in, I am asking you to... Be nice, please.
Pit says every one of Paula’s words and Theresa follows his lead
hypnotically
PIT/ THERESA Buby is here, Buby annoys me. If you come in it will be
different with you. I’ll be pleased , I’ll always be pleased with you!
Would you like to?
VOICE OF DIONYSUS Fine, alright.

3
 A door closes on stage, we hear a phone ringing, some scarce applause
while the curtain comes down.
VIDAL You know this by heart, don’t you?
PIT Only…Theresa’s lines.
VIDAL All of her repertoire? (Pit nods. he has not changed his position, still
looking at the stage.) I have come to say goodbye. I’ve brought some
biscuits, my wife made them for you. They’ll keep fresh during the tour.
(Pit hardly pays any attention to him.) Damn it, Pit, would you stop that
for a second?
PIT Something’s wrong…with her, something’s wrong with her.
VIDAL There’s nothing wrong with her, she is just looking forward to being on
tour, just like everybody else.
PIT The tailor… upstairs ….at the entrance …. told me that…they are taking
her to Madrid. They say that…that….that she is going to play an
important role at the Teatro Circo.
VIDAL That’s a big thing.
PIT Young dame.
VIDAL With the Ladrón de Guevara lady?
PIT I think so.
VIDAL Well then, don’t go on. That’s what’s wrong with her, no need to be
worried.
PIT It’s like…it is the first time I have had to... prompt her.
VIDAL And the guy?
PIT Who?
VIDAL You hid him over there between the jelly and the lamps…No one could
ever find him, that’s for sure. (He searches for him there.)
PIT You mean Theresa’s friend? He is not here.
VIDAL Has he already left?
PIT No.
Theresa walks down the stairs, she looks very affected. She embraces
Vidal.
VIDAL Congratulations, baby. Are you going to Madrid?

4
THERESA (She is about to cry.) It seems as if everybody knows but me. Skunk has
been telling everyone and the only thing I know is that he has already
found a substitute for me but he never said a single word to me.
VIDAL It must be true then, little Theresa. You’ll see; he’ll be waiting till
today’s performance is over to tell you.
THERESA But I don’t want that pig to talk to me ever again.
VIDAL That’s life in show business. You’re very talented and I’m sure that
fascist pinches his commission percentage. But there is no need to get in
a state either, you don’t have to be afraid, sooner or later you’ll get to the
top. Madrid, get ready to find out what a great actress she is!
THERESA Vidal, that’s not why I am feeling that way…
(She cannot stand it any longer. She starts crying)
VIDAL Darling, you should be jumping up and down in delight …is there
anything we can do for you?
THERESA Not any more. You know? Maybe you’re right and there is nothing that
can be done now, but I think I’ll keep on trying. I’m sorry, would you
leave me alone with Pit, please?
VIDAL Sure, no problem. No need to apologise. (To Pit.) There you have the
cookies. Pit, I’m going upstairs for a moment.
He leaves. Pit gives Theresa a scarf, the same one Mañez dropped.
THERESA Thanks. (She recognises the scarf) Where did you get the scarf from?
PIT I found it…on the floor. It no longer has any blood on it.
He helps her wipe her tears.
THERESA Did you have to wait for a long time?
PIT Till dawn. (He coughs again)
THERESA It was very cold last night.
PIT A…a little.
THERESA Bloody damp. (Pause.) You don’t have to go back to wait for him.
PIT But…we are leaving…the day after tomorrow…Tonight I can still…
THERESA Not tonight, not any other time. (Pause. Theresa, with her watery eyes,
looks at Pit who, for the first time, looks up at her and keeps on staring.
Theresa notices this and smiles with relief.) A few morons, such as us, are
still dreaming, but they abruptly wake us up on time. However, I’ve come
down to thank you, I know I could count on you and I know that

4
 wherever I am I’m going to miss you. I swear I would love to go on tour
with you…
PIT So, it’s true then…that you are leaving?
THERESA I’ll go some place, I guess. Though I have thought of sending everything
packing and just quit this god damned job for good, this could be my big
chance right now as well. I know it’s not going to happen. Like Vidal
says, theatre is dangerous for one’s health, but some of us just can’t live
without it. And that is why I have to put up with the Skunk….
otherwise…
PIT I am not going to…see you any more.
THERESA If that’s what you think…you’re not going to lose sight of me that easily.
If Madrid does work out, I imagine it will only be for a season and then
I’ll be back . They say that Amparo Ribelles has left for Mexico, maybe I
have to replace her for a few months. I’m really drawn to this place and
sooner than you think you’ll be back prompting for me as the Princesa
like today. Thank you, Pit. If it had not been for you, I would never have
known how to get over this. I went blank. (Pause)
PIT You…loved him.
THERESA Yes. Many of us loved him, that’s why...
PIT What?
THERESA They got rid of him. Two shots, right in the center. (A bell rings.) I need
to get back upstairs to put some make-up on, I must look like shit.
PIT No. You’re…like always.
THERESA Take it. (She gives him the scarf back.)
PIT No…it’s yours.
THERESA I don’t want anything from that nutcase.
PIT Keep it, please…do it…for me.
He notices she is wearing the ring
THERESA I didn’t have time to sell it.
PIT No, don’t sell it… it suits you…
THERESA I’ll think about it, something tells me I shouldn’t get rid of it, but I don’t
know why. And don’t worry about the prompting. (She is going to leave,
she kisses him in the cheek.) Thanks a lot, Pit. (Vidal walks in.) You’re
the best in this theatre.

4
VIDAL Do you feel any better?
THERESA Yes, far better.
VIDAL The stage manager is searching for you high and low.
THERESA I’m going. See you tomorrow…
(Pause)
PIT Tomorrow is… our… last performance
She goes up the stairs, with the hurry of someone who doesn’t want to
say one’s goodbyes.
VIDAL With those calves, Madrid will bow down at her feet. Hey, Pit…
Pit doesn’t say a word; he can’t get the image of Theresa out of his mind.
VIDAL You know what I’ve just realized?
PIT What?
VIDAL That you’re an idiot! If you look in Theresa’s eyes…
PIT Yes?

But Vidal doesn’t answer, he looks down and, at the same time, the
gramophone begins to play. On stage, the audience applauds the
beginning of the second act. It’s getting dark in the prompt box. Dark for
hardly two seconds; the stage is lit again, with a darker atmosphere. Pit
comes back in his place, in the prompt box.
Meanwhile, Vidal, sitting at the table, is reading a segment of the book
and eating a cookie. The performance is coming to an end.

MR. ROSARY’S VOICE Go out, quickly, Dionysos.

DIONYSOS’ VOICE Yes! I’m going now…
MR. ROSARY’S VOICE No, no, in front of me… I’m staying behind you, waving
the flag with one hand and blowing the trumpet.
DIONYSOS’ VOICE It’s just that… I want to say farewell, you know…
MR. ROSARY’S VOICE To say farewell to the room? Don’t worry! In hotels,
rooms are always the same. They never leave memories.
Let’s go, let’s go Dionysos
DIONYSOS’ VOICE It’s that… Farewell.
MR. ROSARY’S VOICE Glory to love and flowers, lily bud!

4
 We can see mr. Rosary’s and Dioniso’s feet coming in front of pit, and
then they disappear in the background of the stage. One second later, we
see Paula’s legs going in the same direction, but then, they come back.
Far away, mr. Rosary’s trumpet is heard, playing a military march.
Paula/Theresa leans down enough to let us see that, improvising, she has
taken a top hat and she throws it at the sounding-board, as if she were
aiming at a big basket. At the same time she makes a spectacular
‘alehoop’ to the audience, with a wink for Pit whom, despite the fact that
the action was unexpected, had been able to catch the hat in flight.
The curtain falls. The theatre is full of applause.
The company comes back for an encore.
In front of the prompt box, a row of legs stand in front of the enthusiastic
audience.
Pit shows the hat to Vidal but he is too focused on his book to see it, so
pit goes to him and put the hat on his head.

VIDAL And, this?

PIT A gift… from Theresa…
VIDAL That girl is making up new things every day! Poor girl… she doesn’t
know that her fight is already lost. Damned stubbornness.
Pause. The applause continues.
VIDAL It seems that, after all, people did like the performance.
He takes off the hat and hangs it on the hat stand.
PIT Then… it was… like always.
VIDAL You know, I was reading the book, here, chapter 12, where they
explain…
PIT The three rules of a good hunter…
VIDAL That’s right
Remembering the text, he declaims without hesitating.
PIT First To feel your prey’s move and to share her time.
Second To breathe so deeply that you can feel her heartbeat.
And third The important thing is not to shoot but to aim, to aim as if you
could travel far away in one second till you’re in your prey.
VIDAL (PAUSE). You understand?

4
PIT What?
VIDAL They are the same rules as the prompter’s… The same rules I taught you
the first day… That Russian must have worked in a theatre before
becoming a hunter. Maybe it’s why you learned so fast, don’t you think,
scoundrel?
PIT It might be.
At this moment, Máñez is coming down the spiral staircase really slowly.
VIDAL The sooner I talk about him… I’d better go. I won’t come tomorrow,
I’ll have lots of things to do and I don’t want to disturb you…
PIT You don’t… disturb. (He takes the book and gives it to him.) Vidal, I
want you to… do me a favour… Before you leave… give it to Theresa,
leave it on table of… her dressing room, when she’s not there…
VIDAL Your book?
PIT Yes
(PAUSE)
VIDAL That is a gift…
It’s… the last…
Máñez is already next to them.
MÁÑEZ You, Vidal, once again here? I see you miss us!
VIDAL Not everybody, Mister Máñez, not everybody, but yes, as you know, this
place…, I do like it!
MÁÑEZ And you know that here, it will always be your home. How is the family
doing? All right?
VIDAL Yes, thank you very much. And work? I see that it is also all right!
MÁÑEZ I can’t complain here –I mean, out of the theatre – there is more work
than people think. You just have to search for it.
VIDAL Sure. I’m going now, I was here to say goodbye, for the tour.
MÁÑEZ Only for a few months.
He looks at Pit
VIDAL Take care of yourself, kid. And remember me when… the hidden
treasures… And don’t bother if they serve you butter for dinner! It suits
the body very well!
Pit laughs about their complicity. They hug.
VIDAL I’ll see you when you come back.

4
 Vidal makes a slight sign of solidarity to Máñez and, as he does, leaves
coming up the stairway.
MÁÑEZ I see you are not so glad, son. It’s true you will have to work hard but
you will have a great time and you will learn a lot. I would gladly go
with you, but I have to stay here, ready to get down to the job. (He
smiles.) By the way, perfect. (He gives an envelope with money to him.
Pit takes it and puts it away). The other day, what can I say, it was, like
always! Chapeau, as the frogs say. Those above congratulated me, so it
means that I have to congratulate you. We’re a team. Spain is our club,
remember it. Just like Valencia. You’ve heard that they have won the
Generalissimo Cup! (Pit hasn’t understood, of course.) You live in
another world, son, in another world. You already know that I keep
thinking it’s less risky to aim at the head but, that’s ok, you should know
why you’re doing it like that.
PIT The face… no. I’ve never aim at… the face…
MÁÑEZ I’ve always thought that’s how the best do it, straight through the skull!
PIT I… aim… down... and I go up little by little… up till…
MÁÑEZ As you see, each genius has his way, as long as you keep working, with
the same dexterity, go ahead!
Pit begins to tidy up. The audience is already gone. He drags the
briefcase where he keeps the weapon from under the table and gives it to
Máñez.
PIT Take it. I don’t need it anymore.
MÁÑEZ Wait, son. It is just what I wanted to tell you about.
PIT Tomorrow… It’s our last performance…
MÁÑEZ There is time to do what I’m going to ask you to.
PIT No, there’s not…
MÁÑEZ Wait, Pit, wait. I am the one who gives orders here!
PIT It’s just that, I only want to prompt, here, at the theatre.
MÁÑEZ Sometimes I wonder if you’re really stupid or if you act as if you were!
PAUSE
Do you believe that what interests me is your gift for prompting? If you
weren’t that good with your rifle…
PIT …shotgun…

4
MÁÑEZ …you would still work here, as a prompter? Look at me, look at my
face… Damn, look at my face…(Pit doesn’t look at his face). Do you
think I’m interested in so much bullshit of theatre and all that load of
crap? I snap my fingers and I’ve got a lot of lazy men ready to go on
stage or to come here if I need it, like you. Can’t you see it? I can
replace the first actress from one day to another. And nothing. You’re all
replaceable. The last shit of the last mangy dog. You’re waste. Do you
understand that word? Twig it. I can replace you in the prompt box
whenever I want to. Tomorrow, if I’m in the mood. But you know,
upstairs, in the terrace, it’s there where you don’t have a replacement, fix
it in your mind. And thank God there is something above all this that
makes it putting up with all that shit. Do you know what it is? The
fatherland. Listen to that word and put it in your head for once.
Fatherland. And if the fatherland wants you to do something, you shut up
and do it, get it?
PIT I… it’s that… I don’t…
Máñez is losing his patience
MÁÑEZ Ok, it will be the last time, word of honour. Tomorrow. And you won’t
miss the last performance. You’ll be on time, I swear. Maybe you will
miss a small part, practically nothing. The performance of tomorrow will
be very special, and you already know that last performances come
always with lots of surprises.
PIT Surprises?
(He smiles)
MÁÑEZ Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Obey, period. (PAUSE) Or maybe you’d
rather forget all about it forever, I’ll put you on a train and send you back
to your village. And there, it will be over, for real.
PAUSE
PIT What… I want… is… to keep working at the theatre…
MÁÑEZ And you can!
PIT The last time, the last. Promise it.
MÁÑEZ You offend me if you don’t trust my word of honour.
PIT And after that, it’s over, no more… hunting… upstairs…

4
MÁÑEZ No more manhunt. This is just putting an end to it. We have already
broken their backs. Let’s say this time it’s more... personal.
PIT Personal…
MÁÑEZ And, if you want, when you come back from the tour, I promise you I
will go with you to the hunting reserve of a good friend of mine and there
you will have your partridges again, the true ones, the ones that fly.
(Pause) So you’re ok? You’re ok? (Pit sits down) At dusk. Of course, as
always. An easy job. This time it will be at the cinema exit. I’ll be there,
next to the prey. We will stand there, as if we were waiting for someone.
What he won’t be aware of is that we’ll be waiting for you. I will light a
cigar, as always. And I’ll go some meters away, as always. You count up
to 5 and bang! As always. You have to finish him off, bang, bang. There
may be more people than usual, it’s Sunday night. And sorry to insist, I
know you often do it, but, I repeat, sorry to insist: aim straight, for God’s
sake, aim as if there were no tomorrow. Any more questions?
PIT No (Pause.) And then, I`ll come back to the theatre.

MÁÑEZ And you go on and on... You’ll have plenty of time to get back… as long
as you do your best, that you certainly will: no mistakes. You can’t fail in
your farewell… what would they do without you at the princesa? Pit
gives up; takes the briefcase again. Good boy, pit, good boy.

It is getting dark while we can hear in the distance the sound of people
walking, a horn blowing: the sounds of a Sunday evening which takes us
to…

8
UP: TWO PICTURES, ONE SHOT

It is possibly a far too beautiful evening, even to go out hunting. That is

what Pit thinks; he sees how the sun sets behind the buildings on the
right.

4
In one hand he holds the gun, all fixed up, and in the other he holds the
binoculars with which he is looking around where Mañez had told him.

Once in a while he looks back at the sun, shining on one of his sides.

The moment arrives. He puts down the binoculars and concentrates on

the gun, regulating its telescopic sight.

He breathes deeply.

He repeats the ritual: fits in the butt, unlocks the safety catch, aims
downwards and then slowly goes up.

But just when he starts moving upwards, even before he starts caressing
the trigger, there is something that makes him stop. He could never have
imagined what he is seeing.

We can see the cause of his surprise projected on the cyclorama. The
circle of the sight shows a pair of high-heeled shoes.

He focuses the sight far more thoroughly, if possible. He raises the gun a
few centimetres. The picture on the cyclorama shows Theresa’s beautiful
calves.

He drops the gun down. He smiles. Now he understands “this is

personal”. His eyes sparkle.

He takes the gun with determination. He tries to hold his breath, he

lowers the gun and raises it again.

But this time he abruptly pans towards the left and, suddenly, he stops.

He points the gun.

4
 He feels his prey’s heartbeat, he remembers how he stinks.

He shoots once, no more shots needed.

The sudden screaming of people reaches us.

Pit takes his binoculars to confirm the target; he leaves them next to the
weapon on the roof and is about to leave when he hears something;
obviously he cannot escape through that door. He locks it, and searches
along the sides of the terrace till he finds a small emergency staircase.
He goes down and disappears behind the wall.

In the meantime, a mixture of sounds: a police car alarm, or an

ambulance, together with violent knocks on the door. That dissolve with
the applause of the audience who are watching the final performance of
Three Top-Hats.

BELOW: DOWN ABOVE

The laughter of the audience watching the play is mixed now with the
music from the gramophone. The stage is now lit and we can see a
limited part of it, only Dionysos' legs while he is sitting on his bed.

5
 DIONYSOS' VOICE Well…

The prompt box is lit as well. Pit arrives, breathing heavily, sweating, he
hangs his coat on the hanger; the top hat is no longer there. He imitates:.

PIT Well…

He smiles. Suddenly, he anticipates something. Paula/Theresa’s is taking

too long to start speaking. Tense silence. He breathes more heavily. He
looks up. Finally:

PAULA/THERESA No. Always. We’ll talk to each other closely,

always! It’s better that way. The bad thing is…

Pit is smiling again. We can see Theresa’s legs on the bed. Then she sits.
Theresa and Pit say simultaneously:

PAULA/PIT The bad thing is that you will no longer be with us

when you stop working here... and everyone one of us will go our own
way.

Something else draws Pit’s attention. On the table there is a book, his
latest present. Somebody has left it there again. He goes towards it while
Theresa goes on with the text.

PAULA/THERESA It’s foolish to separate so soon, isn’t it? Unless you

needed a partenaire for your number.

Pit is sitting at the table, open the book and finds a daisy in it. He joins
Paula’s text, without projecting his voice, like a whisper.

PAULA/PIT We could spend more time together then. I could learn to

juggle, couldn’t I?

Theresa has left the scarf next to the flower. He smells it deeply.

5
PAULA/PIT And juggle with three top hats!

Someone starts coming down the stairs. Pit is unperturbed, as if he were

expecting it. He comes down silently. On stage we can hear the sound of
the rattle Dionysos is playing with. It does not work.

DIONYSOS' VOICE It has broken down.

Paula/Theresa takes it and tries to repair it. The man is on the last step.
He is wearing a dark coat. He reaches for a gun in one of his pockets, fits
on a silencer, pausing, like an executioner who can feel his victim
surrendering.

Pit stands up. He was waiting for him.

Theresa/Paula manages to repair the rattle. It makes a hellish noise. At

the same time, the shooter aims at Pit, he shoots, once, at his chest.

He then leaves up the stairs.

PAULA/THERESA It’s a pity you don’t need a partenaire for your

number. it doesn’t matter. these days we’ll enjoy ourselves, you know?
Look…come on, look…look at the ring, you gave it to me. How didn’t I
guess that it was you who filled up my dressing-room with presents?

Pit knows these sentences do not belong to the text. Wounded, he crawls
to the prompt box, holding the bloody scarf in his hands. He looks at the
stage. We can see Theresa sitting on the floor next to the bed and
showing him the ring. She has finally understood why she could not take
it off. They smile. They say the text together, Theresa’s brightness with
Pit’s loving whisper.

5
PAULA/PIT Tomorrow we’ll go for a walk, to the beach…by the sea.
the two of us alone! Like two kids, right?

Pit is quiet. Theresa delivers her text on her own, but not to the audience.
She is looking at the prompt box, as a present to her prompter.

She raises her voice emotionally.

You are not like the rest of the men! There is no performance tonight!
We have the night for ourselves!

Pit’s final breath is a smile and a dimmed insistence.

PIT I love you… I love you… I love you…

Theresa smiles. She does not know Pit is hardly a shadow in his prompt
box, and she goes on with Paula’s text about crabs and beaches and
castles and volcanoes, while Pit prompts for a last time an “I love you”
which is not in the text either before finally closing his eyes.

CURTAIN
.

5
THE BELLY

FOR ALL THE ACTRESS IN THE WORLD,

AND ESPECIALLY FOR BEGOÑA,
WHO ASKED ME A QUESTION
AND FOR MARISOL, VERO, CARMEN, MILA, INMA, VERO,
WHO INAUGURATED THE DAM OF DREAMS

“In the beginning we were islands,

Now we are urgent archipelagos.”
Mario Benedetti

ACTING AREA

The womb of an actress

Her womb
The actress is pregnant
She should be actually pregnant
I know it is too much to ask for
She needn’t get pregnant for the performance
That’s to say: she should be already pregnant
Because there are pregnant women who are also actresses
Therefore they are pregnant and unemployed
Well in this case this play...

A five month pregnant belly, at least

So her pregnancy is evident
An obvious bump
The most magical theatre you may imagine
And she can show it
Just like someone who can have the world, the life, a dream
Hanging under her arm
Near her heart, just two or three beats away

THE AUDIENCE

Twenty, thirty girls, boys, little kids

Not many more
Sat on the floor
Around the magic
All accompanying adults, on looking teachers, should refrain from coming.

THE ACTRESS

5
An actress
Her hands, her hands, her eyes like a travelling circus
Her best smile like that of a comedy actress

THE SOUND

The sea, a guitar, a piano, the waves and also an elephant

Rod Steward, Mendelssohn, Yan Tiersenn, for instance.

THE LIGHTED SPACE

A belly
Slightly lit
Perhaps some dolphins projected onto it
Waves, clouds, birds and even an ice-skating rink where a raindrop could skate
And the rest is not silence
Or darkness
There are faces, without make-up, curly locks, islands
The fresh, unpredictable face
Of a premiere performance
The ACTRESS smiles
Barefooted
Naughty
As if she were to start an impossible magic trick
As if she had the most beautiful story and she wanted to share it

She wears a colourful blouse

Very special
Loose trousers with big pockets
She always talks softly without raising her voice

One

Your attention, please.

(Drums)
I have the pleasure of introducing you to...

(Juggling music
She opens her blouse in the middle
Below her breast
As if she were drawing the two drapes of an entr’acte curtain
allowing an open view of her belly
Her trousers close up just above her pubis)

My belly!
I like to call it so

5
Wow! How big it is growing...
Some people call it womb
It sounds more elegant
But now I like to call it belly
Come on, say belly
Not shouting
BE-LLY
Come on, say it
Slowly
Like this
Bellllly
It sounds like a bell ringing at a door
And you do not know who’s going to answer it
It sounds like “hello, are you there?”
What’s up, whipper-snapper?
Belly
Sounds like a little thing
Like a bug that yawns, stretches its little arms and says ahhh!
It sounds good
Sounds funny
Say belly
Very softly
Like this
Beeeellllyyyy
If I press my belly button
Like this
(She presses it with her forefinger
and a bell rings)
Can you hear?
It sounds inside rrrrring
Or
(She presses again
and sounds ding-dong)
Ding dong
More modern
I like rrrrring better
Like old telephones
But now I do not want to ring any more
I do not want to wake anyone
Not yet
Later we’ll see.

Two

You have also got a belly

Although not as big as mine
You haven’t got this little line which comes up here
Can you see it?
It is called white line or linea alba
Alba is a girl name

5
And a name for the sunrise
The dawn
This dawn line has come up
Little by little
I didn’t have it before
It’s beautiful I like it
It reminds me of a line of tiny ants
Walking in the fields
All the family together
On a Sunday morning
When I was a little girl I was like you and like you
I also had a tiny belly
Like yours
Or like yours
Or even tinier
So tiny that I seemed not to have a belly
I was a very skinny girl
I didn’t like spinach
Ugh! Revolting!
Or fish
Ugh!
I’m a big girl now
And I like spinach and fish
Yummy, yummy! How nice!
But I do not like liver, no
No way

For some years I have wished to have a huge belly

Like this one
Because I wanted a baby
And now my belly is big and round
And I’m happy, very happy and I want you to know it
And there is a person
Who is not here now
But who is always with me and covers me with kisses
And sleeps, dreams and thinks close to me
And touches my belly like this
Softly
And feels as happy as I am.

three

My belly is very big

And bigger it will become
A friend of mine has told me
She looks after my belly
She is a gynaecologist
I call her Lola
She always has two tubes hanging from her ears
The tubes end in a suction pad

5
Which is like a shell when she holds it on my skin

(She takes out a shell

And listens to it
The sound of the sea can be heard)

She
Lola
Doesn’t hear the sea
She hears other things
And she places her shell here
And calls knock, knock, like this very carefully
Can I come in?
And listens
She can hear inside of me
(Some beats sound very far in the distance)
She says my baby is fine
It moves
And I smile
As I’m doing now
I feel a tickle inside
And my little thing smiles too
It moves
It tells me I’m so cosy here inside
And I do not know why but my belly is hungrier and hungrier
Well In fact I do know
But Lola says I shouldn’t get too fat
Only a little
But not too much

cuatro

I also was in a belly like this years and years ago

But of course I can’t remember
And you were also inside a belly
Perhaps some of you can remember
Because it wasn’t so long ago

Can any of you remember?

Come on, raise your hand
It was warm, wasn’t it
And some of you girls will have a big belly like mine some day.
No, not the boys
Only the girls
Although all of you boys and girls
Before you were born you were in big bellies
Some animals also travel in bellies before coming here.
Dogs for example
I’ve got a golden dog
She’s a nice loving dog

5
Her name is Pecas

(She may show a photo of PECAS)

She likes watching the waves on the beach
Far away
(Sound of waves
The waves may be even seen
They involve the atmosphere with their going up and down) *
She stands like this
With her ears pricked up
As if she could hear them
She twitches her nose because she can smell the salt
She wags her tail
Which looks like a brush
Sweeping the sand
Swish, swish
And she stands watching the sea for long minutes
For hours
Like a silly-billy
Then the time stops in her eyes
For so long
That in the end
Her eyes
Which are honey coloured
Turn blue
Pecas also came from a belly
We call her “Freckles” because her face was full of freckles
Can you see them?
Just like you
When she came out of her mum’s belly and was born she was dark
She had a sad look
And fitted in the palm of my hand
I remember as if it was yesterday
Now she is as big as this
She is cinnamon coloured
And she is always happy
Except when I go on a trip
She is a very clever dog
And sweet
(She keeps the photo)
Well the thing is that Pecas
Who likes doing exactly the same I do
Has got pregnant
Which is another way of saying
She’s expecting puppies
Pregnant
Has an e and an a
(She draws an a on her belly
And rubs it out)
And also an e

5
(She draws an e
And rubs it out)
Pregnant
The letter a is a vowel with a big belly.
My belly is a letter a
(She stands and shows her profile)
Don’t you think so
(She draws an a again
as if it were a belly
even with its belly-button)
A pregnant letter
A mummy’s tummy
The word mamma has only a’s
Mam-ma
(She rubs out the letter a)
Well then (/all right)
Pecas lies down on her side close to me
And touches her belly like this
(She strokes her belly
Softly
Up and down)
Like I do
Very softly
While she waits
She waits for her belly to deflate like a balloon
And four five six puppies are born
Good heavens!
I only have a baby in my belly
Lola told me
I don’t know if it is a boy or a girl
I don’t want to know
I want it to be a surprise
What does it matter?
Whatever it is I’m going to love it a lot
And when the baby is born and say Here I am
Well as the baby won’t be able to speak it won’t say so
It will only say Waa!
Which will be its way of saying I love you mummy
I’m hungry
And I‘ll breastfeed him or her
A breast is a baby bottle we mums have
Here and here
And it is nicer
That those they sell in chemists’ shops

Now for example

The baby has hiccups
It’s just got them
Hipcups
I can feel it

6
And when it makes a hip sound
I can feel a little jump in my belly
Hip
Hip
(...)
It is finished now
Dogs and cats and elephants before becoming babies
They were also in a belly
Before starting to bark
(a bark)
or to miaow
(a miaow)
or make baraag with their trunks
(Elephant trumpeting
That’s to say playing the trumpet solo)
Not hens
Nor lettuce
Or flowers

cinco

There are people who talk a lot

It is said they talk off the tops of their heads
What means they talk very much
Well I like talking off my belly
Talking with my belly
Talking to my belly
And to the little thing moving in my belly
In a few years he or she will stare at me with wide open eyes
Like you are doing now
While I tell him or her that he or she lived here for nine months
Curling up
Warm
Like you or me
And that she or he had friends like you
Waiting outside the door
Sat on the floor
Just like you are now
While I talked and talked through the top of my head
Through my belly
And told them stories things words
Like these ones.

six

Taaachin!
(roll of drums)
This is my right hand
(She shows her hand
without opening her fingers completely)

6
Her name is Pepa
I gave it the name
It goes everywhere with its
(She spreads out her fingers)
Five kids
Little finger, ring finger, middle finger, index finger and thumb
(/Sammy Small, Ruby Ring, Tony Tall, Peter Pointer and Tommy Thumb)
Thumb is the fatty one
People like to call it thumb
I call it Tommy Thumb
Fingers have two faces
One and two
They know how to look caress touch
With both faces
Thus and thus
And play the guitar
(She plays arpeggios on her womb
A guitar sounds)
Or the piano
(She plays imaginary keys on her womb
A piano sounds)
Or they play flamenco
(She dances flamenco
A heel tapping can be heard)
Or skate
(She skates
The sound of skates can be heard)
And five thousand or three thousand more things.
This face is called fingertip
It is soft and if you prick it with a pin
You see stars
That ‘s to say you do not actually see stars
Sometimes we say things without meaning them
Such as to talk off the top of the head
Or for example
When I say or your father, your grandma or your teacher says
I see red
But I don’t see red they don’t see red
We simply mean
That I am we are nervous or very angry
I say if I prick my finger I see stars
Although I do not really see stars
In any case a tiny drop of blood comes out
It’s very tiny
It is as if my finger cries
A small red tear
But it stops very quickly
You say
I’m starving to death
But you do not actually die

6
It’s terrible. Words that are meaningful and meaningless at the same time
You’ll get used to it

My mother says I’m going to give birth

That’s to say I’m going to have a baby
And when she says that
I look at my womb
And feel like a genius

Let’s go on
Where was I?
Ah the two faces of fingers
I’ve already introduced this face to you
It’s called fingertip
But I still have another one
This
It’s called nail
Note that it is like a pink looking-glass
A mirror you have to cut a little bit
On the top
From time to time
Because it grows very quickly
If you don’t cut it you may scratch
There are people who paint their nails red or violet
Our fingers have also a belly
Some people say they are knuckles
You can see them if you fold your fingers like this
Then you can see the finger’s belly on the nail side
(She shows it)
Each finger in your hand has three parts
The top one
The middle one
And the bottom one
See them?
These parts have strange names
I don’t know them
You’ll learn them when you grow up
Pepa and her five kids like dreaming
Having friends
And sleeping on my belly
As if they were sunbathing
Like this
Sometimes they even snore
(Loud snoring)
Like this
When they snore all together
There is a terrible hullabaloo

And
Taachin!

6
(Roll of drums)
My left hand
Wants also say Hello
Its name is Pape
And its five fingers
That are like Pepa’s
But the other side round
Are also called little finger, ring finger, middle finger, index finger and thumb

Both hands Pape and Pepa

Are similar but not equal
Each one of them is the refection of the other
They are face to face
Like this
They get closer
They seem equal
But they are not
All all all of us
Are a bit equal and a bit different
You and you and you and you and me and all the babies who are now being born
We all are a bit equal and a bit different
Even hands are equal and different at the same time
And this is wonderful
If we all were equal equal
Life would be boring
We all would like the same food
The same songs
The same movies
And what would we talk about?
And who would we play with?
With ourselves?
No fun
Pepa and Pape look at each other
Face to face
Palm to palm
And what can they see?
A big letter on their belly
Hands have also bellies and a big letter on them
Can you see?
(She draws an m
Following the lines on her hand)
These are the lines on my hand
My grandma looks at my hand and reads it and says
You are going to be happy
You’ll travel all around the world
And when you get very old as I am now
Says my grandma
You’ll have two grandsons and two grand daughters and a swing in the backyard.
And my mother says
My grandma is always right

6
For example when she sees a big belly like mine
She says girl
Or boy
And she is always right
I don’t know how she does it
But this time I told her
Granny don’t tell me if it is a boy or a girl
I don’t want to know
And she looked at the palm of my hand
Spent a few seconds thinking
And said nothing
Although I know she knows

A big m
(She looks at the drawn m)
A capital M, this is its name
Capital
It looks like two mountain peaks that kiss each other
See them?
It’s funny
The m on my right hand
And the a on my belly
(She puts her hand on her belly)
They come together to say ma
And the m on my left hand
And the a on my belly
Come together to say ma again
Mam- ma
We have the letters of the word mamma written on our skin
Just like on a school chalkboard

Notice that
The mountains on Pepa are not the same as the ones on Pape
(She shows both hands
And compares them)
They are very alike
But they are not the same
Because we are all similar
I know I insist too much but I like repeating it
We are a bit similar
But we are a bit different on the same time.

Pape’s family is naughty

See them?
They can be calm
They would spend all their time playing
And jumping
Like this
And waking Pepa up
And the sleeping belly

6
Pepa likes being always peaceful
Pape always wants to play
Hen and chicks
Or hide and seek
(She hides her left hand)
- Where am I?
- Behind the belly?
- And now?
- Behind the head.
- Silence
Be quiet for a moment
And come here
Close to me
(Both hands
Open
One next to the other
On the belly)
Can’t you hear?
- What?
- Shhh the belly is dreaming.
- Dreaming?
- Bellies dream
- I know
I also dream
Why shouldn’t a belly dream?
- I know you dream
But the thing is that if you press your palm firmly on it
You’ll hear the dreams
As if someone would dream behind the wall
And wanted to tell you
- It’s true
But, does it dream with closed eyes?
- No Pape
says Pepa
- Real dreams are dreamt with wide open eyes.

Six (bis)

(Both hands are still extended

The actress opens wide eyes
Looking at the dream)

There is an ocean
(The sea sounds
Its reflex invades everything)
An ocean is a very big sea
Inside my belly
An ocean full of stars and clouds
And colourful fish
And huge trees that grow downwards

6
And rain that never stops
And worms that know how to dive
(Sound of bubbles)
Swim
An ocean that feels happy because it is very big and very small at the same time
The biggest and the smallest of all the oceans.
This ocean has a name
It’s called A
Like the letter A
It is called this as it is the beginning of everything
It’s the beginning of the ABC
Those are the letters
Letters form words and thoughts
The beginning of life
And also the beginning of the air and the forests.
A
My friend the ocean
A
Can see through two windows
The eyes
My eyes

A
Like us
Sleeps with its eyes closed
(She closes her eyes
The sound of the sea and the bubbles stops)
And when it wakes up
It opens them
(She opens her eyes
And the sound of the sea comes back)
It raises its shutter, which is its eyelid
And dreams
And doesn’t get tired of looking
Through its two open windows.

But it can only see islands lately

(She steps forward

Stares at the children
Moves them apart
To create a space between them)

It can only see islands

Although it wants to see seagulls and mice
It can only see islands
Although it wants to see children and mums and slides
And TV announcers and cartoons and trains
It can only see islands
Although it wants to see giraffes and mice and moons

6
No
It can only see islands only sad islands
Sad islands so sad
An island is something very isolated because the sea is all around it
The sea is around
And behind the sea there are other islands
All of them surrounded by the sea
And they are always too far away one from the others
This is why islands are always lonely
And they are or they seem to be sad

Although it wants to be horses in the prairie

Boats sleeping on the sand
Flying turtles
It sees islands
Only islands
Your heads are now like small islands
Can you notice?
If you stay
Like you are now
Can you see?
Separate
The ocean
A
Is sad
And this what my belly dreams
Until
Suddenly!
(A roll of drums)
The baby inside me
Moves a little
Almost nothing
From one side to the other
Or simply sighs softly
And then then then
I don’t know how
But it makes the islands join very slowly
(She pushes the children closer
Joins them as much as she can)

And the islands that my belly can see

Turn into
Archipelagos!
Which is a very long word
Ar-chi-pe-la-go!
What a word
Archipelago
It is like learning to say
Abracadabra
The phrase magicians say when they do their tricks

6
Abracadabra or alehoop
And they take a rabbit from a top hat
Well instead you can learn to say
Arrrrchipeeelago!

They are islands which are close together

There is some sea between them
As there is some air between your heads
But the sea the air
Do not separate the islands anymore
On the contrary
It joins them
It makes them feel one near the others
So that they won’t feel lonely and won’t be sad any more

And this is why my ocean called

A
Has got happy
Because every morning my baby makes the ocean in my belly
Stop seeing sad islands
And start seeing a lot of isles like you
Near one another
With faces full of smiles

seven

Then I know it is time for a little music

Now that my belly is skin-deep sleepy
Well wake up
It is time for music
Time for a bath with musical soap
And I play a CD and it sounds like this
(A very sweet violin sounds
Mendelssohn perhaps)
My little thing inside me likes music
All kinds of music
I can feel it is dancing inside.
This is why after dreaming I gave it a shower of music.

First a violin like this

It’s beautiful
You can also dream of music
Then I play this song
(The sound of a popular tune
A broken and harmonious voice
What about Rod Stewart and his What a wonderful world)

(...)
I have always liked this song
And I dance with my belly

6
Like this

(...)
And then I play this song
(A song of Yan Tiersenn
like a crystal melody
in a music box)

And do you know what I like to do?

(She takes out a small bottle from her pocket
She unscrews the dropper
She lets a drop descend
Down her belly
Winding like a skier)
It’s a drop of water
Look how it falls down
Another
Can you see it?
The drop seems to be skating
Or going down the slide of my belly
I have filled this little bottle with raindrops
I’ve stood under the rain
Like this
Until it was full
They are transparent little bellies
And this raindrop is skating now full of music
(Hip hop music can be heard)
And to finish
My belly also likes fun
And moves like this
And Pape and Pepa do this with their hands
(She separates her fingers
Like a DJ
Playing discs)
Like some modern musicians do
(...)
Because it likes music
All kinds of music
All music when it sounds good is beautiful
All kinds of music are equal and all of them are different
Little sips of happiness
Which move it inside
At the rhythm of a violin or of hip hop
And I feel that my belly follows the music
(Different kinds of music are heard
We change the dial
All the music we hear is beautiful)

And Sarah or Manuel or Joseluis or Marina

I keep his or her name as a secret

7
The person who says Good Night to me before going to bed
Near me
Knows that my belly is also a little him or her
Feels he or she is a part of this music
And sometimes dances with me
and eight

And I think that if all the bellies in the world were filled up with music
The world would be a chocolate cake
(The dreaming violin sounds again)

You’ve already met my belly

It likes dreaming having its eyes wide open
And checking that every belly
Is a universe full of stars
And noticing grandmothers’ bellies
Those that have filled up the universe with universes
I like my grandma’s belly
Years ago it was big and plain
Now it is small and wrinkled
Never mind
I love it
I know there was a belly in there
And from that belly another belly came out
I
And from my belly someone will come out
Who knows if it will be a girl
And perhaps one day
She will have a belly like this one.

But, do you know what my belly likes best?

I’ll finish by telling you
My belly likes
To feel
To feel all the hands
Big or small
Like clouds that settle on it
Doves
Islands that do not want to be isles any more
Until they get together
All the bellies in the world
Learn
How to fly

(A flapping of wings sounds over a violin

The actress walks towards the boys and girls
Takes their hands
One by one
She puts their little hands on her womb
Her belly

7
With all the tenderness of life
They cover all the possible spaces
As if the tiny hands of the youngest spectators
Were islands
Which become
On her womb
Urgent archipelagos)

7
Juan Luis Mira Candel

www.cervantesvirtual.com/portal/AAT/Mir
a/

Orihuela (Alicante) 1955.

Catedrático de Lengua y Literatura I.E.S. Jaime II
de Alicante.
Director del Aula de Teatro de la Universidad de
Alicante desde 1987.
Director y fundador de la compañía JÁCARA TEATRO,
colectivo profesional que acaba de cumplir 25 años.
Desde hace treinta años dirige el AULA DE TEATRO en el
I.E.S. JAIME II, en la que ha realizado más de
cincuenta montajes y en la que se han formado algunos
de los más relevantes profesionales de la escena
valenciana: ACTORES (como MANUEL OCHOA, TONI MISÓ,
LUIS MIGUEL SEGUÍ, GLORIA SIRVENT...), COREÓGRAFOS
(PEDRO DEL REY, INMA ORTEGA), DIRECTORES/AUTORES (PACO
SANGUINO, ANGEL HONRADO, RAFA GONZÁLEZ, PASCUAL
CARBONELL), PRODUCTORAS (MARISOL LIMIÑANA, VERÓNICA
ESPUCH), GESTORES Y TÉCNICOS (JOSE A. GARCÍA,
PAPASSETI SIRVENT), PRODUCTORES (JOSE A.NGEL GARCÍA).
DISEÑADORES DE VESTUARIO (ROBERTO MENARGUES), MÚSICOS
(PIERRE LEON, JUAN A. JUÁREZ) PROFESORES DE TEATRO
(MILA GARCÍA, PURI MOYA...)

Ha impartido cursos, seminarios, conferencias en :

UNIVERSIDAD DEL PAIS VASCO. Seminario: HOMENAJE A
ARRABAL.
CONGRESO I. HISPANISTAS, ACAPULCO (México)
MUESTRA NUEVO TEATRO ESPAÑOL, BREMEN (Alemania)
UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE MADRID. Muestra Internacional
de Teatro Universitario.

7
UNIVERSIDAD DE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA. Circuito
Nacional de Teatro Universitario.
UNIVERSIDAD DE GRANADA. Teatro y Pedagogía.
UNIVERSIDAD DE MURCIA. “El TRICICLO de Arrabal”.
UNIVERSIDAD MIGUEL HERNANDEZ de ELX. “Metodología
teatral aplicada a la pedagogía Universitaria.”
Técnica actoral aplicada a la danza contemporánea”.
(Cuatrimestre.)
UNIVERSIDAD DE ALICANTE. Teatro y Educación.
UNIVERSIDAD DE VERANO DE ALTEA. “El teatro musical en
España”. Nuevas dramaturgias”. “El teatro español en
el s.XXI”.
Coordina el CURSO DE FORMACION TEATRAL, que se
imparte en la Universidad de Alicante desde 2004.
Imparte el CURSO DE INTERPRETACIÓN en la NUEVA
UNIVERSIDAD DE CINE DE LA CIUDAD DE LA LUZ (Alicante)
( julio 2007).

Los temas sobre los que giran habitualmente sus

conferencias, cursos y talleres están relacionados con
el ámbito teatral:
EL TEATRO ESPAÑOL DEL S.XXI
EL PRIMER TEATRO DE FERNANDO ARRABAL.
LAS NUEVAS DRAMATURGIAS DEL TEATRO ESPAÑOL.
LA GENERACIÓN BRADOMÍN EN EL TEATRO ESPAÑOL.
TEATRO Y PEDAGOGÍA TEATRAL.
EL TEATRO MUSICAL EN ESPAÑA.
ESCRIBIR TEATRO EN ESPAÑA.
LA GENERACION TEATRAL DE LOS OCHENTA EN ESPAÑA.
TEATRO UNIVERSITARIO EN ESPAÑA.

Ha publicado numerosos artículos en diversas revistas

de ámbito nacional e internacional, entre ellas:
PRIMER ACTO, ADE ( la revista de la Asociación de

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 Autores de España), y CUADERNOS DE DRAMATURGIA
( vinculada a la Muestra de Teatro Español de Autores
Contemporáneos.)

Desde 1993, pertenece al equipo organizador de la

MUESTRA DE TEATRO ESPAÑOL DE AUTORES CONTEMPORANEOS.

Coordina el LABORATORIO DE DRAMATURGIA de NUEVOS

AUTORES, organizado por el INSTITUTO DE CULTURA JUAN
GIL ALBERT/ MUESTRA DE TEATRO ESPAÑOL DE AUTORES
CONTEMPORÁNEOS.

Es autor de más de cuarenta textos teatrales, de

los que destacan:
- A RAS DEL CIELO (Premio Arniches 2001, ed. Muestra de
Teatro de Autores); estrenado en la X MUESTRA DE
TEATRO ESPAÑOL DE AUTORES CONTEMPORÁNEOS.
Esta obra ha sido FINALISTA del PREMIO NACIONAL DE
LITERATURA DRAMATICA 2003. Asimismo fue finalista del
PREMIO MAX AUB de TEATRES DE LA GENERALITAT al mejor
texto de la temporada y del PREMIO IBEROAMERICANO DE
TEATRO TIRSO DE MOLINA. Ha sido traducida al alemán –
presentada en el Teatro Municipal de Bremen- y al
rumano, actualmente está siendo traducida al inglés,
italiano y polaco.
- BARRIGA, (Premio SGAE de teatro infantil y juvenil
2006), actualmente en proceso de edición por ANAYA.
Traducida al inglés, catalán y polaco.
- MAQUILLANDO CADÁVERES (Premio Escalante, Ayto de
Valencia, 2004, Ed. Ayto de Valencia.
- MALSUEÑO (Premio Rojas Zorrilla, 1996, editado por el
Ayto. Toledo), estrenado en la MUESTRA DE TEATRO
ESPAÑOL DE AUTORES CONTEMPORÁNEOS. Representada por

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 varios colectivos profesionales en Madrid y en Murcia
–actualmente en gira-.
- DE LOPE ( Premio Jovellanos 2000, ed. por el Ayto de
Gijón). Estrenado en el Teatro Jovellanos de Madrid el
11 de abril de 2003, por la compañía TRAMA.
- “MAR DE ALMENDROS” (Premio KUTXA-CIUDAD DE SAN
SEBASTIÁN 2001. Ediciones Kutxa). Lectura dramatizada
en Valencia(sede SGAE) y San Sebastián. Traducida al
rumano y representada por el Centro Dramático de Iasi
(Rumanía).
- EVARISTO I POQUELIN QUE ESTEU AL CEL (Premio Evaristo
García 2001); estrenado en el Teatro Arniches de
Alicante. (Publicado por la Dip. Provincial de
Alicante.
- UBU, DIRECTOR GENERAL (Ed. Universidad de Alicante).
Estrenado por el Aula de Teatro de la Universidad de
Alicante.
- EL SILENCIO DE LOS ÁCAROS (Ed. Universidad de Murcia,
en proceso de edición.)
- CALDERILLA (estrenado en el Gran Teatro Falla,
inaugurando el Festival Internacional de Teatro de
Cádiz, F.I.T.)
- CUANDO JACK EL DESTRIPADOR BAILABA CLAQUÉ (musical
representado en el Palenque de la EXPO-92).
- A SALTO DE CAMA, premio POR HUMOR AL ARTE 2003,
TRICICLE, actualmente en proceso de publicación por la
editora ÑAQUE/ LA AVISPA
- EL RAYO VERNE (mención Especial del Jurado, Premio
SGAE 2004. En proceso de publicación por ANAYA.)
- FEMENINO PLURAL, editado por la Fundación Alfonso el
Magnánimo, Diputación Provincial de Valencia, 2007
- SARAH Y NORA TOMAN EL TÉ DE LAS CINCO, Premio
Internacional de Teatro Breve Barahona de Soto 2007,
editado por el Ayto de Lucena.

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 - OJOS DE LLUVIA, Premio Barahona de Soto 2007 de teatro
infantil, editado por el Ayto de Lucena.

Otros títulos estrenados:

- EME, Aula de Teatro de la Universidad de Alicante.
- PASARELA OTOÑO-INFIERNO, Jácara
- LOS FELICES AÑOS VEINTE, Aula de Teatro de la
Universidad de LA LAGUNA, Aula de Teatro de la
Universidad de Alicante.
- BROADGUAY!!!- en co-autoría con Manuel Ochoa-, Jácara
–más de 130 representaciones-.
- MAN-IKÍ, teatro-danza para escaparates, Jácara.
- PASARELA OTOÑO-INFIERNO, Jácara.
- NOCHE DE PERROS Y GIRASOLES, representada por YORICK
TEATRE.
- UBÚ, versión libre del texto de Alfred Jarry, estrenado
en la NAU DE SAGUNT, en co-producción de Teatres de la
Generalitat y BAMBALINA/JÁCARA/PACO BASCUÑAN, como
clausura de SANGUNT A ESCENA 2005.

Ha escrito también teatro para niños y jóvenes:

- @LICIA.COM (Premio Ayuntamiento de Pamplona/Escuela
Navarra de Teatro TEXTOS INFANTILES), estrenado en
Pamplona por la Escuela Navarra de Teatro., traducido al
rumano y estrenado por la Compañía municipal de Iasi
(Rumanía)
- EL QUINTO MOSQUETERO, estrenado por JÁCARA en el
TEATRO ESCALANTE de Valencia, con más de 150
representaciones realizadas.
- VIOLETA Y PANTAGRUEL –en co-autoría con Joan Miquel
Reig, actualmente representándose, con más de 200
funciones realizadas.

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 - COSAS, presentada en el TEATRO NACIONAL DE SANTO
DOMINGO, dentro de la campaña auspiciada por la UNESCO
“ Nuevos Públicos”.
- COR DE MEL, actualmente en exhibición, presentada en
el FETEN de Gijón,2001. Lleva ya más de 120
representaciones.
- LITRONA, en co-autoría con Ignacio del Moral,
estrenada por TEATRO K.O.
- BUS, teatro para jóvenes, estrenada por TEATRO K.O.

Ha publicado varias obras de teatro breve, entre

ellas:
-DERBI, MUESTRA DE TEATRO ESPAÑOL DE AUTORES
CONTEMPORÁNEOS en el volumen titulado AL BORDE DEL
AREA
-ALGUNOS PAISAJES DE LUCÍA B., publicada por la
revista ART TEATRAL..
Y diversos textos publicados por la ASOCIACION DE
AUTORES DE ESPAÑA.

Como director, con la Compañía JACARA, ha dirigido

más de treinta montajes, entre ellos destacamos:
- LA BALADA DEL CALLEJÓN, basada en el texto de John
Gay.
- ABRE EL OJO, de Rojas Zorrilla.
- ELVIS, de Sanguino y González.
- M.H. BLUES, dramaturgia a partir de textos de Miguel
Hernández
- CUANDO JACK EL DESTRIPADOR BAILA CLAQUÉ, de Juanluis
Mira
- CALDERILLA, junto a Guillermo Heras, de Juanluis Mira.
- EL TRICICLO, de Arrabal.

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 Ha participado en los más relevantes festivales de
ámbito latinoamericano: MANIZALES, BOGOTA, MEDELLIN
(Colombia), LONDRINA, SAO PAULO (Brasil), LA HABANA (CUBA),
SANTO DOMINGO (República Dominicana), ALMADA (Portugal)...
En esta última ciudad la Compañía recibe el Premio de Honor
del Festival Internacional, otorgado conjuntamente por la
crítica y el público. En el año 2003 inaugura el Festival
Internacional de la Habana con la representación en el
TEATRO NACIONAL de la obra EL TRICICLO. Dirige la Ceremonia
de Inauguración del Campeonato del Mundo de Gimnasia
Rítmica (1995), el espectáculo multimedia de la
presentación de la Ruta Quetzal (1998) y la ceremonia de
entrega de los Premios de Teatres de la Generalitat (2000).
Nominado a los Premios Max 2007 por DUTY FREE, en el
apartado del MEJOR ESPECTÁCULO DE TEATRO MUSICAL.
Dirige con las Compañías YORICK Y SAINETERS el montaje
FUGA, de Jordi Galcerán, dentro de la XV Muestra de Teatro
Español de Autores Contemporáneos, espectáculo que sirvió
como homenaje nacional a su autor.

Con el AULA DE TEATRO DE LA UNIVERSIDAD DE

ALICANTE ha estrenado veinte montajes con una trayectoria
marcada especialmente por la revisión de los clásicos y
propuestas dirigidas al público joven, destacamos:
VOLPONE, de Ben Jonson
ABRE EL OJO, de Rojas Zorrilla
EL MERCADER DE VENECIA, de W. Shakespeare
MUCHO RUIDO Y POCAS NUECES, de W. Shakespeare
ROMEO Y JULIETA, de W. Shakespeare
EL TRICICLO, de F. Arrabal.
MINIM,MAL SHOW de Sergi Belbel y Miquel Gòrriz
Te invito a cenar... HAMLET, de W. Shakespeare.
MALETAS, (Homenaje a S. BECKETT), con dramaturgia de
Juanluis Mira.

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 EL BLUES DE MACKY NAVAJA, de Juan Luis Mira.

Dirige el MARATÓN DE CAFÉ TEATRO “SÓL@ ANTE EL

PELIGRO”, en colaboración con CLAN CABARET, desde el año
2000.

Ha intervenido en los festivales de teatro

universitario más representativos del Estado Español:
Santiago, Barcelona, Cádiz, Zaragoza, Madrid, Murcia,
Valencia, Orense... En la Muestra Internacional de Teatro
Universitario (MITEU) de esta ciudad obtiene el PREMIO DEL
JURADO por su montaje MUCHO RUIDO Y POCAS NUECES y el
PREMIO DEL PÚBLICO por EL BLUES DE MACKY NAVAJA.. Obtiene
asímismo el PREMIO DE HONOR DEL FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE
TEATRO UNIVERSITARIO DE BEIRA DO NORTE (Covilhà, PORTUGAL)
y clausura el FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE TEATRO
UNIVERSIATRIO DE LISBOA (F.A.T.A.L.).Ha participado en la
última edición del Festival Internacional de Teatro Clásico
de Almagro.
Representa a España en el RECONTRE INTERNACIONAL DE
TEATRE DE LIÈGE (Bélgica) y en el SHAKESPEARE’S WORLD
CONGRESS, celebrado en Valencia, y el FESTIVAL
INTERNACIONAL DE TEATRO DE BUCAREST. Asimismo ha
representado en Kingston y Bristol, invitado por el
Departamento de Drama de estas universidades inglesas.

Ha publicado hasta hoy dos colecciones de cuentos: LAS

BRUJAS Y LO DEMÁS SON CUENTOS CHINOS y DOCE CUENTOS Y MEDIO
UN POCO IMPOSIBLES, ambos en la editorial GIL ALBERT. Ha
recibido el Premio de cuentos SEMANA DEL MAR, de Cartagena;
el CERTAMEN NACIONAL DE CUENTOS ALLER-2000 (Asturias),
EPIFANÍA EN LAS ONDAS( R.N.E.). Finalista del Premio
Internacional de relatos PARADORES DE ESPAÑA.

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 Ha compuesto la mayoría de las bandas sonoras de sus
trabajos teatrales. En su faceta musical hay que reseñar
más de una treintena de temas recogidos en los C.D.s
CANCIÓN ULTIMA, EN LA CARRETERA, JACARA QUINCE AÑOS y
GLORIA: CANCIONES DE NOCHE, editado por la discográfica
valenciana CONTRASEÑA RECORDS. Compone los temas de DUTY
FREE, espectáculo nominado a los PREMIOS MAX .

Recibe el Premio IMPORTANTE del diario INFORMACIÓN por

su trayectoria teatral y el PREMIO GINER DE LOS RÍOS de la
GENERALITAT VALENCIANA por su labor al frente del Aula de
Teatro de la Universidad de Alicante.

Ha participado en numerosos coloquios sobre el teatro

español e impartido conferencias y seminarios en Madrid,
Bilbao, Santiago de Compostela, Cádiz, Granada, Valencia,
Murcia, Lisboa, La Habana, Manizales, Sofía, Barcelona...
Tiene una página web en la Biblioteca Virtual Miguel
de Cervantes, donde se puede consultar parte de su
producción teatral.

JUANLUIS MIRA CANDEL

C/Camino Colonia Romana, 6; 4º A. Ed. VENALMAR
03016 ALICANTE.
tfno. 659274224- 965161557 jlmira1@vodafone.es
juanluis@jacara.info