Ministry of Culture Announces the Winners of the XIV Emilio Aparicio Amateur Theater Festival

Ministry of Culture Announces the Winners of the XIV Emilio Aparicio Amateur Theater Festival
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 04/02/2014

The Ministry of Culture announced the winners of the XIV Emilio Aparicio Amateur Theater Festival. The announcement took place in the Monina Solá Auditorium of the Narciso González Cultural Center in Villa Juana. The cash prizes that were awarded amounted to RD$300,000.00.

The winners in Children and Youth category were: in first place El Mago de Oz (The Wizard of Oz), presented by the Theater School of Fine Arts of Moca; in second place, Viejo mundo (Old World) by Vívere Theater; and, in third place, El hombre que escondió el sol  y la luna (The man who hid the Sun and the Moon), by the Puppet Theater of the School of Dramatic Arts.

Whereas in the Adult Theater category the winners were: the first place went to Shakespeare en Fuga (Shakespeare in Fligt), by the Tripod Theater Foundation; the second place was won by Droga (Drug), by the Amadeus Theater; and the third place went to Hágase la Mujer (Let there be Woman), by Sur Theater.

The first places were awarded RD$75,000, the second places RD$50,000 and the third places RD$25,000 pesos, respectively. The selection jury consisted of Elvis Polanco (actor and theater director), Husmel Díaz (Cuban) and Librada Onel.

Basilio Nova, director of the festival, was pleased that the total number of people that attended the functions was five thousand people, that is, two hundred per function.

Ana América Aparicio was present during the event, as in previous functions. She was the daughter of the late Spanish exile who came to the country with his wife fleeing the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, dressed as a peasant, and who devoted themselves to doing theater in the country.

The curtain opened with “Escalera para Electra” (Stairway for Electra), a novel by renowned Dominican writer Aida Cartagena Portalatín which was adapted for the stage by Dominican actress Charlotte Carter, Director of the Traveling Theater. And it closed with “Shakespeare in Flight“, one of the winning pieces.

Among the groups participating in the festival, Nova named the following: Tripod Theater, Dalixdes Theater, Otoño Theater School, UCATESIANO Theater, O & M Theater, UASD Theater (Valverde Mao), Children’s Theater, Mauricio Baez Foundation Theater, New Horizons Foundation Theater, Alpha Theatrical Ministry, Amadeus Theater, Salcedo Theater, La Recua Theater and Nectar Theater.

The agenda also included the participation of the following groups: Camaleón Theater, Iván García Youth Theater School, Puppet Theater of the National School of Drama, Seven Group, Space Theater, Theater of the School of Fine Art (Moca), Sur Theater, Free Theater, and Víveres Theater, among other groups.

The event featured 28 theater groups in the country. It took place between March 11 and March 28 at the Monina Solá Theater of the Narciso González Cultural Center, from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm.
The functions were scheduled Monday through Friday. The prices of the tickets were 25 and 50 pesos per person.