The National Dramatic Center has produced ‘ZUM. A garden will grow a story about the environment with a touch of humor carried out by Los Bárbaros y los Nuevos Dramáticos, which will be performed in Madrid between November 27 and December 19.
In the work, a group of children – between eight and ten years old – become bees and embark on a journey through nature where they will approach various characters from the animal world as well as the people who run a mysterious information office, to criticize adults, who are “destroying” the world “due to their lack of conscience or environmental ethics.”
The set, designed by Zuloark, creates a dynamic and playful space that allows the creativity of the piece to be unleashed. Rocío Bello is in charge of a costume, designed from drawings made by the Nuevos Dramáticos. In addition, it has original Pilar Calvo music, which includes voices and noises recorded with the children.
‘ZUM. A garden will grow It is the result of the Nuevos Dramáticos project, in which 23 children, both children of CDN workers and nearby public schools, have been involved to create a play together. For its part, The Barbarians –project by Rocío Bello, Javier Hernando and Miguel Rojo– are in charge of the direction and text of this production.
“Although the creation process is similar every year, the result is very varied because it takes into account the interests and connections that occur each year.“, one of the pedagogical coordinators, Lucía Miranda, pointed out in the presentation.
In this process – which began last January – Los Bárbaros have “taken a step back” to listen, think and imagine alongside the children in this day of workshops on improvisation, writing, scenography, lighting, sound and costumes. At the same time, the New Dramatics have given them “their worlds, their questions, their worries and their joys.”
Among the demands that the children have expressed are the fact of “recovering the squares, spending more time with friends and having flowers.” In this way, the directors have urged “to look at things dancing, something similar to what bees do” and “take care of what surrounds us, because we are part of it”, among the lessons obtained from childhood spontaneity.