Las Sombras de Catalina Bárcena

MADRID, OCTOBER 1948.

The production is set in the dressing room of Catalina Bárcena, just before her return to Spanish stages after a long exile in Buenos Aires, far from her children and family. Before going on stage, the actress receives visits from figures from her life: some real, others who act as shadows that accompany her. Among them are María Guerrero, her discoverer and teacher, and Gregorio Martínez Sierra, her partner for more than thirty years, who had died shortly before.

In that dressing room, the story traces the successes and difficulties of her career, as well as the falsehoods that have been spread about her life together with Martínez Sierra. Added to this journey is María Lejárraga, presented as the antagonist in this triangle. Katia Martínez Sierra, the actress's daughter, tries to build an emotional bond with her mother after so many years apart.

The play offers a re-examination of Catalina Bárcena's life within the recent revival of female figures in twentieth-century theatre. Its central idea is that recognising some female creators does not require silencing others. The show is performed at the Teatro Infanta Isabel, on calle del Barquillo, a theatre whose programming focuses on theatrical performing arts.