Conchita: The Plaza
by Mat Burtcher | Sep 12, 2011
It’s with a big grin that I announce the next phase of our research and development into one of our most exciting upcoming projects, Conchita Cintron. In order to gather so much as from occasion we may glean about the reality of life for history’s greatest bullfightress, the Heritage Arts Company are going to Seville in a couple of weeks to see the bullfights themselves and explore the world of the Plaza.
Conchita’s story took her all over the world, from her native Peru, to London, to Portugal and Spain. We aim to take in the full sweep of her journey, one way or another, and it’s with notebooks and cameras at the ready that we set off to immerse ourselves in an alien cultural experience.
We’ve also made a video. A year ago, the Heritage Arts Company spent three days with a variety of performers and practioners at London’s Old Vic, for the first phase of research and development. This video gives a flavour of the things we thought about as we explored the multiple strands of Conchita’s expansive life story, the concept of Duende, and the clash of the masculine and feminine in the blood and sweat of the Plaza. Give it a watch here.
I hope you enjoy it – if you do, or even if you don’t, let us know your thoughts about Conchita. There’s a lot of big subjects in this production, which is why we’re so determined to tackle it properly. See you on the sand!