The production brought to a close a day dedicated to reclaiming Servet’s legacy and bringing it closer to the public through different forms of expression. In the afternoon, attendees had already learned about his story through the first theatrical tours of his Birthplace.
The nighttime show moved part of that journey outdoors, with different scenes staged around the church and the monument dedicated to Servet. The audience had to move between the various settings as the story progressed through some of the most important moments of his life.
ASTROLOGY AND BLOOD CIRCULATION
An actor portraying Miguel Servet led the performance alongside a mysterious woman dressed in black. The two engaged in a dialogue throughout the journey, addressing his ideas, discoveries and also certain aspects of his personality.
The show was divided into three scenes, corresponding to the three most important episodes in Servet’s life.
The first scene focused on astrology and Servet’s interest in understanding the universe. After the dialogue between the characters, a dancer used movement and spinning to represent the orbits of Earth and the planets.
The second stop centered on one of the aspects for which the humanist is best known: his studies of pulmonary blood circulation. On this occasion, two artists suspended from a long red fabric represented the flow of blood, combining scientific research with the language of dance and acrobatics.
The final section of the performance addressed his religious ideas, his confrontation with the authorities of his time and his death at the stake in Geneva. Fire then took center stage and brought the show to an end.
A SHOW CREATED FOR VILLANUEVA DE SIJENA
The director of the production, Jesús Arbués, explains that the performance was designed specifically for Villanueva de Sijena and the spaces where it was staged. “It is a show made exclusively for this town and this space,” Arbués said, taking as his starting point three episodes from Servet’s life: astrology, his studies of blood and the stake where he died.
The production combines “dance, spinning, red fabric, fire, text and Servet’s life” with the aim of bringing the public closer to a historical figure whose work encompassed medicine, theology and thought.
The director acknowledges that one of the main challenges was finding a simple way to tell a complex biography without losing its substance. “It took me a long time to find the thread that would allow me to create something visual, playful and suitable for all audiences, something dynamic and appealing that would also convey the essence of Servet,” he explained. The audience’s response was reflected in the applause during the different scenes, especially in the fire-filled finale that closed the performance.
The initiative was promoted by Villanueva de Sijena Town Council, with production by Viridiana, the participation of the Miguel Servet Institute of Sijenan Studies and sponsorship from the Institute of Altoaragonese Studies of the Provincial Council of Huesca.
