To be or not to be is one of William Shakespeare’s most existential questions. A group of internationally acclaimed Peruvian actors with Down syndrome are now confronting it head-on, breaking down prejudice and barriers.
The eight-person band that performed “Hamlet” last week at London’s Barbican Center includes Cristina Leon, Jaime Cruz, and Manuel Garcia.
Leon, 32, told AFP: “This play shows that there are no boundaries, that people can do many things, and that people must accept the fact that we can do anything they ask of us.”
Seven years ago, Cruz’s acting career was born out of his dreams.
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Never had he considered having Down syndrome to be a life obstacle while working as an usher at Lima’s Teatro La Plaza.
“I’ve always wanted to be an actor,” I said. The 30-year-old said, “At an event (at the Lima theater), I had to introduce myself and said I was an actor.
He continued, “Praeces, myths, and barriers” were his goal.
Chela de Ferrari, the artistic director of the theater, adapted the masterpiece for the eight actors and brought it to the Shakespearean land.
She told AFP, “I really needed to have a more in-depth discussion with him,” and he really caught my attention.
When we were talking in a cafe, I saw him wearing the prince’s crown and thought about the significance of Jaime’s translation of Hamlet’s famous phrase “to be or not to be”
Form of Resistance
Seven additional actors were chosen for the group after a casting session was held.
“Jaime forced me to confront my own prejudices and profound ignorance of reality.” De Ferrari said, “I believe what the general public has to say about me” is exactly how it happened.
The group has traveled extensively around the world since being invited to come to Spain three years ago.
The Edinburgh International Festival sold out of the show last year, with The Guardian calling the cast’s portrayal of the Danish prince’s tragedy “upbeat” and praising it for “oozes charm, humour, and imagination.”
De Ferrari said, “I don’t think it’s the only play that actors with Down syndrome have seen,” but I don’t believe other groups have traveled as much.
The group of five men and three women will perform in Brighton, southern England, as well as in 35 other cities and towns, including Seoul, Melbourne, Toronto in Canada, and New York and Chicago in the United States this year.
For local non-Spanish speaking audiences, they perform in Spanish with subtitles in other languages.
Everyone in today’s society places limits on themselves. They constantly tell us that we can’t do things, Garcia, 32, said.
It’s a good time to present these projects given what we are seeing around the world, attacks on certain values like diversity. De Ferrari continued, “It also serves as a form of resistance.”
We embrace diversity, she said proudly, “instead of rejecting people who have speech problems or stutter.”
Source: Channels TV
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