In October, Ines and Eric travelled to El Salvador for round 2 of their rehearsals of "Natan El Sabio" with Teatro Luis Poma. This collaborative production deconstructs the 18th century play "Nathan the Wise" into a contemporary piece for puppets and actors, performed, in Spanish, by seven actors of Teatro Luis Poma. The project seeks to address what Luis Poma director Roberto Salomon sees as a rise of right-wing Catholicism in El Salvador, which has increasingly bred intolerance. The puppets give the play an iconic form, allowing the texts to be heard beyond the characters. Music for Nathan the Wise is composed and performed by Scott Ainslie, Brattleboro, VT based blues guitarist and songwriter.
Written by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
Production concept Eric Bass
Directed by Eric Bass and Roberto Salomon
Puppets and Set Design by Ines Zeller Bass
Music by Scott Ainslie