Revival in social networks of "La dama boba", by Lope de Vega

Madrid, October 1613. These are difficult times, but that does not seem to matter to the people of Madrid. In the streets and in the gossips' circles there is no talk of anything else: "Lope premieres a comedy! They say that it is entitled "La dama boba" and that the play deals with the topic of the Education of women and their role in society. The expectation is enormous, and there is nothing comparable to attend to a premiere of who has risen "with the scepter of the comic monarchy", as Cervantes said.

How would one experience a premiere of Lope de Vega in our days? The group of research Siglo de Oro (GRISO) of the School of Philosophy and Letters of the University has launched the initiative "Lope premieres comedy", a project that will recreate in social networks the days leading up to the premiere and the first performance of "La dama boba", one of the masterpieces of the playwright.

From October 24 to 31, and with the hashtag #LopeEstrenaComedia, the GRISO's Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts will try to reflect what happened in the Madrid of the time during those same dates in 1613. "The goal of the project is that students and those who follow us these days in social networks know in an entertaining way, but very adjusted to reality, how was a theatrical premiere in the Golden Age," explains Professor Carlos Mata Induráin, researcher of the GRISO and coordinator of the initiative. "It also seeks to deepen in the knowledge of this specific comedy, very interesting for raising the topic of the Education of women and their role in society," he adds.

The messages will alternate between three temporal planes and will have different narrating voices. In 1613, the year of the premiere, Lope and his contemporaries will be given voice: his friends and family, his literary rivals and other anonymous characters. Another part of the content will reflect what happened in 1935, when Federico García Lorca premiered his adaptation of "La dama boba" in Spain. Finally, already in our days, a student from high school diploma will reflect on this comedy of Lorca.

Next Friday 21, at 12 noon, at the Casa Museo Lope de Vega (Madrid), will take place the presentation of the project. The event will begin with a discussion paper by Professor Mata, who will talk about Lope and "La dama boba". This will be followed by a screening of the promotional trailer for the initiative. The students of the School who have developed the project will also intervene: Carmen Baleztena (Philology Hispanic and Journalism), Germán Beltramo (Philology Hispanic and Audiovisual Communication), Izaro Díaz Manso (Philology Hispanic), Gabriel Garza (History, Diploma in Archaeology and Philology Hispanic) and Irene Ortiz Palomo (Philology Hispanic and Journalism).