“Ugly” work at CEINA
- CEINA, Arthur Prat 33, Metro U. of Chile.
- Thursday to Saturday – 8:00 p.m. / Sunday – 7:00 p.m.
- Until april 14th.
“They were both ugly. Not even vulgarly ugly. They were horrible. She had a sunken cheekbone since she was eight years old, when she had the operation. Him, a disgusting mark next to her mouth that had caused a burn when he was a teenager. She couldn’t be said to have soft eyes either. They had resentful eyes. Maybe that brought them together. “Although ‘unite’ is not the right word.”
The previous paragraph is how “The Night of the Ugly” begins, a short story written by Mario Benedetti, which the Teatro y su Doble company brings to the stage through a masterful display of puppets with the play “Ugly.” The production will be on display until Sunday, April 14 at the Ceina Cultural Center, of the National Institute (University of Chile Station, Line 1 of the Santiago Metro).
In dialogue with El Mostrador Cultura, its director, actress Aline Kuppenheim – who also manipulates and gives voice to one of the puppets – during the development of the plot, a “quite virulent, conflictive and difficult” relationship is revealed that the two characters , She and Him, establish themselves with society and vice versa while they wait in line to enter a cinema in the city.
The above, due to the physical appearance of the protagonists, who have defects on their faces and which, in some way, are a reflection of the wounds they carry in their hearts and souls. According to Aline Kupepenheim, the sensations generated by the public are extrapolated to various situations and differences, both external and internal.
The fact is that, according to the actress, “puppets are capable of arousing very strong emotions in viewers, perhaps more so than an actor himself. So, the public’s reaction is very intense, very emotional and very personal.” To these two characters is added a third, who is a contribution from the Theater Company and its Double, and who corresponds to the waiter who, after the scene in the cinema, serves them in a cafeteria.
This waiter, named “Manolo” – who marks a counterpoint within the story – interacts and speaks with Her and Him, represents, according to Aline Kuppenheim, the entire society “with all our follies, our lack of empathy, our rudeness, our discomfort.” and clumsiness, causing guilty laughter, which decompresses the intense conversation that the main characters are having.”
The truth is that through “Feos”, based on Benedetti’s short story, the figure of how physical appearance conditions human relationships is established. Without a doubt, the Uruguayan writer, in his powerful two-page story, was able to expose today’s society, where its components feel and perceive themselves as more integrated to the extent that they meet certain canons and standards of beauty.
Artistic record
Author: Guillermo Calderón (inspired by the story “The Night of the Ugly” by Mario Benedetti)
Director: Aline Kuppenheim
Puppet manipulation: Aline Kuppenheim – Ricardo Parraguez – Ignacio Mancilla – Catherine Bize – Loreto Moya
Vocals: Francisco Melo – Roberto Farías – Aline Kuppenheim
Original music and soundtrack: José Miguel Miranda
Scenography: Cristián Reyes
Clothing: Muriel Parra – Felipe Criado
Comprehensive design: Aline Kuppenheim
Realization of puppets and miniatures: Aline Kuppenheim – Santiago Tobar – Ignacio Mancilla – Daniel Blanco – Vicente Hirmas
Animations: Aline Kuppenheim – Antonia Cohen – Camila Zurita
Photography direction: Arnaldo Rodríguez
Post production: Renzo Albertini – Luis Salas
Lighting Design: José Luis Cifuentes
Technical head: José Luis Cifuentes
Lighting, audio and projection technicians: José Luis Cifuentes and Matías Segura
Financing: FONDART
Co-production: FITAM