The lessons of Noa

Puppets, masks, and music in a performance that tells us the story of Noa, a little Jewish girl, with her friends Fátima and Pedro and a stray cat who live in Toledo in 1492. In the background, we have the expulsion from Spain of the Sephardic population (Sepharad is the Hebrew name for the Iberian Peninsula), in a show of humour, magic and tenderness for a young audience.

The Claroscuro company, founded in 2010 by Canadian Julie Vachon and musical expert Francisco de Paula Sánchez, has received great acclaim for Yo soy la Locura and La increíble historia de Juan Latino. Now, guided by a love of marionettes and Spanish music of the 16th to 18th centuries, the company completes a trilogy about Spain in exile, where the nostalgia of living memories prevails over resentment. Besides the story of a girl separated from her friends simply for being Jewish, there are many others to tell: Noa’s mother and grandmother and the language, music, cuisine, and customs which they taught her. And her grandfather, a doctor and astronomer, who taught her not to hate anyone. Or a mistreated cat who only talks with Noa. And the story of Pedro, the Catholic boy who comprehends the irreparable loss when he feels the pain of Noa’s absence and repents for having betrayed her. This is the story of all the children everywhere who, one day, and without understanding why, were forced to flee from their homes and leave everything behind.

The Sky of Shepharad takes place against gentle and melancholic Sephardic songs in a show where the music has a fundamental voice. Claroscuro looks at untold stories for an audience of all ages, one where puppets come alive and raise questions for everyone present from the dawn of time.

All the programming in the Sala Manuel García is made possible thanks to the support of the Fundación Banco Sabadell.