Description
MODEST
Book Summary
Modest is a contemporary play that, through the perspective of the National Classical Theater Company, establishes a critical dialogue with the past. Playwright and director Xus de la Cruz takes Lope de Vega's The Discreet Lover (La discreta enamorada) as a starting point to question the social control exerted over female behavior. Through a staging that combines dramaturgy, direction, and choreography, the play invites the reader to reflect on how certain patterns of submission, far from being archaic, remain current today.
What is it about?
The play begins with a premiere by the National Classical Theater Company to explore the Golden Age playwright's ideas about women. Xus de la Cruz uses Lope de Vega's text as a mirror reflecting the social impositions that have forced women to adopt an attitude of modesty and submission, symbolized by the act of "looking at the floor." The production is not limited to a historical review but builds a bridge to the present, demonstrating that mechanisms of control over female conduct do not belong solely to the past, but persist in more subtle forms. The play thus becomes a reflection on cultural heritage and the survival of certain gender roles.
Main Themes
- Social control of female behavior throughout history.
- Critical review of the Golden Age literary canon from a contemporary perspective.
- The persistence of gender roles and patterns of submission today.
- The dialogue between classical text and modern staging.
- The construction of female identity through the gaze and the body.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers interested in contemporary theater that addresses gender issues, as well as students and professionals in the performing arts. It will also be of great interest to those seeking a critical and updated reading of the classics, especially the work of Lope de Vega, and to those who wish to understand how theater can be a tool for social analysis.
What this book offers
- A stage proposal that reviews a classic from a feminist and contemporary perspective.
- A reflection on the continuity of social control mechanisms over time.
- A work that integrates dramaturgy, direction, and choreography as an expressive whole.
- A text that invites us to question traditional narratives about female behavior.
Technical Specifications
- Author: DE LA CRUZ, XUS
- Publisher: INSTITUTO ARTES ESCENICAS Y MUSICA
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: PLAYS, THEATRICAL TEXTS
- Collection: CLASSICAL THEATER TEXTS
- Publication Date: November 2023
- Number of pages: 121
- Weight: 180 g
Editorial Review
Modest presents itself as a play that transcends mere adaptation to become an exercise in cultural criticism. Xus de la Cruz's proposal, by dialoguing with a text by Lope de Vega, offers a perspective that connects tradition with current concerns about female freedom and identity. It is a recommended read for those looking for committed theater that not only entertains but also invites reflection on the persistence of certain power structures in society.