A humanitarian deed that has become a legend
Winnipeg, el vaixell de Neruda, a play that transports us to the Spanish Republican exile.
On 3 September 1939, more than 80 years ago, the ship Winnipeg arrived in the port of Valparaíso. At that time, Chile was governed by Pedro Aguirre Cerda, who had accepted the request of the poet Pablo Neruda to charter the ship to help more than 2,000 Spanish Republican exiles in France to escape. It was one of Chile's most important humanitarian deeds.
Now, the company La Jarra Azul and Puça Espectacles have created a theatrical show that tells the story of this ship and its important role in the history of the Spanish Civil War and exile. The play, entitled Winnipeg, el vaixell de Neruda, lasts 65 minutes.
The spectacle shows the different stages of this historical episode: the Civil War, the border crossing and exile, the refugee camps in Argelers and, finally, the Winnipeg and exile in Chile.
The play was written by Laura Martel and directed by Norbert Martínez, and is a co-production of Puça Espectacles, La Jarra Azul and the Grec 2020 Festival of Barcelona. La Jarra Azul is a company that has been developing stage, audiovisual and educational projects for over 20 years. In 2011, they received the Medal of Honor of the city of Barcelona, and have worked on other projects related to historical memory and exile. Puça Espectacles is a company dedicated to artistic consultancy, management and provision of artistic, technical and cultural services, as well as the production of shows.
After the performance on 25 March, a colloquium will be held with the participation of Melitta Calvet, daughter and granddaughter of travellers on the Winnipeg, and Ana María Collado, also daughter of a traveller on the Winnipeg.
The performance will also take place at the Casinet d'Alinyà CC on 13 April 2023 at 19:30.
If you wish to attend, you can book tickets from this link.