From sketch to stage

Algarabía is not just a meeting . It is also a laboratory ideas that originates in the classroom. Since September, Aitana Martínez and Ángela Lizarraga have been part of a project involving more than eighty students—ranging from those in the University Symphony Orchestra and Choir to those who have worked on costumes, props, backdrops, and set design to bring the show to life. 

For Aitana and Ángela (4th grade design), the project in the subject Scenography" subject taught at the School of Architecture. “We were given the play’s script and organized ourselves into different groups: stage architecture, props, backdrops, tapestry, and costumes,” explains Ángela, who, along with Javier Millán, Amaya Fernández, Claudia Navarro, and Carmen Pellicer, formed the costume team. What at first seemed like just another project gradually revealed its true scope. “We chose the subject realizing the opportunity it represented,” notes Ángela.

Each team began designing based on some basic guidelines—color palettes, silhouettes—and gradually refined their proposals. In a later phase, industry professionals were brought in to help make the transition from sketch to production. For Aitana, who teamed up with Martín Murgui, Bibiana Morales, Ana Mouwen, Inmaculada Gómez, and Alice Drudi on set design, this was not just a project . “It was going to happen, and we had to adapt to the schedule, to last-minute changes, to everything that the art world entails,” she explains.

The centerpiece of her set was the stage platform: an element that doesn’t merely decorate, but interacts with the dancers and structures the performance space. An object that is both functional and symbolic, just like the project itself. For Ángela, the most valuable aspect was working alongside active professionals: “Combining our ideas with those of the professionals and our teachers has made the project much more complete and rich.” She adds: “Dressing these important figures from the Arab and Spanish worlds has been both a challenge an honor.” Renowned artists such as Jesús Carmona, Lucía Campillo, Cynthia Karam, and Rafic Ali Ahmad are part of the cast. And professors Juan Roquete and Liuba González have coordinated the work of all the students, with Borja Quintas leading the choir and orchestra. 

Aitana agrees regarding the staff aspect staff the experience: "I’ve been able to get a sense of what my professional future will look like before even finishing my degree program. And that’s incredibly valuable." The award Moreno award , presented by the museum itself, recognized their work . For Aitana, the award because of what it represents—so that “projects like this continue to be carried out.”

With the show's premiere, the set and costumes will be on stage. It's no longer a project a subject. It's Algarabía.