As tradition dictates in La Villa de Teguise, the closing of the festivities in honor of Nuestra Señora del Carmen corresponds to the actresses and actors of the Esperanza Spínola Theater Group, which, in addition, this year celebrates 200 years, one of the oldest in the Canary Islands.
At 8:00 p.m., with full capacity, the play began directed by Fermín García Pérez, Isabel Martín Hernández in makeup and hairdressing, Norberto de León in charge of props, lighting and sound. The curtain rose to represent the play The Education of Parents. This theatrical comedy was performed by some of the current members 35 years ago, on that occasion on the stage of the San Francisco convent due to the restoration works of the current building.
The play reflects some of the daily problems that usually arise in any self-respecting family between parents and children, when they reach adulthood and with it the confrontations. The parents, heirs of an ancestral education, and the children, who have had the opportunity to study in other countries, find it difficult to accept the radical change in their children's ways of acting when they return home. They, who had been educated with austerity and without luxuries, now see how their children follow the rhythm of today's society, oblivious to the effort made by their parents.
The Education of Parents featured a total of 13 actors and actresses who gave their all on stage, receiving as a reward for their work the applause of the loyal audience who year after year wait to see them on stage. The money raised was donated to the Association of Relatives of Alzheimer's and other dementias.
Regarding the historical data on the occasion of the 200th Anniversary provided by the Official Chronicler of Teguise, Francisco Hernández Delgado, the use of this building in its beginnings was as the Hermitage of the Holy Spirit and later Hospital. In its surroundings, the House of Orphans and Needy Children make a marked reference to the importance it has had for Teguise throughout its history.
It is not that theater performances began in Teguise on that date. Centuries before, theatrical scenes were performed in private homes and in halls. The press collects several news about the comedies, farces and zarzuelas performed in La Villa de Teguise by amateurs. It is said that in horses and carts, until the appearance of vehicles, theater fans came from Arrecife and other inland towns to enjoy the few cultural activities that existed in Lanzarote at that time.
The Guanapay Folk Group, with a recognized cultural trajectory and within the framework of its Festival of Canarian Couplets, wanted to recognize the 200 years of this building as the Municipal Theater in Teguise. We have been able to maintain one of the oldest traditions known in our town with the hope that others will one day look back.