Casting Lear

Free adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear directed by Andrea Jiménez, in which a different actor plays the father at each performance, in a casting about fatherhood, origins and forgiveness.

Casting Lear is a free reading of William Shakespeare's King Lear by Andrea Jiménez, recognised with the Premio Ojo Crítico and linked to Teatro En Vilo. The piece works as a casting simulation: instead of choosing an actor for the role of Lear, Andrea Jiménez is looking for a father, and the play starts from the idea that what came before continues to shape people even when they try to ignore it.

On stage, a different actor plays Lear at each performance, so the relationship with the father changes every night. The performers agree to sit and talk with Andrea Jiménez, and the imagined character is someone far removed from theatre practice. The piece deals with how we relate to biological fathers and metaphorical ones, Shakespeare himself included.

Its themes include fatherhood, love, forgiveness and the possibility of imagining other endings. It is staged in the Sala José Luis Alonso at the Teatro de La Abadía in Madrid, as a playful theatrical exercise that combines reflection and play around the figure of Lear.