spirit Teacher’s story It’s not just his argument. Inspired by her mother’s pedagogical adventures, this central work by Josefina Aldekoa is distinguished by the wonderful tapestry with which its author weaves the story of a young teacher determined to implement an egalitarian educational project in the second half of the 1920s, similar to the one promoted by the Second Republic in 1931. The new regime opened 6,000 schools to promote reform that would give the children of farmers, laborers, and miners the opportunity to develop their talents and advance themselves socially. This was one of the axes of his policy.
Three years ago, Paula Llorens wrote and performed in Valencia a synthetic but authoritative one-woman adaptation of the novel, the success of which led to it being immediately performed throughout Spain. The version written by Aurora Barilla and now produced by the National Dramatic Center is more ambitious and freer, with 11 actors and a large-scale ensemble, whose successive transformations recreate the state-ordained destinies of the teacher Gabriela. Nine performers double as dozens of figures, while Manuela Velasco, number 11 in alphabetical order, plays Josefina Aldecua herself, who appears as another character, the only one who does not appear in the original version. The adapter placed the real author as a silent observer of what was happening (as if she were a replica of Tadeusz Kantor, the Polish playwright and director who took to the stage as a privileged audience at all his performances), but it also placed her in intermittent dialogue with her daughter, Gabriella.
This omnipresence of the author in her role as internal observer, wearing a white blouse and red pants that contrast with the brown or gray clothing of the rest of the characters, alienates the audience. Seeing her looking takes us away from what is happening. The conversations that the mother and daughter have in parallel with the plot also interrupt and cool the exciting flow of the novel’s story. This reworking of the narrative suffers from an excess of skin drama. It is not necessary to give as many dates or establish historical context as what is presented to us, as the author of the original text dispenses with all of this to focus on the action. The exposition time spent conveying information is the time that is subtracted from the development of the incident, the introduction of the characters, their dialogues, and the outbreak of the confrontations that sustain it…
Gabriela’s exciting journey through the Spanish colony of Fernando Po, through mountain towns isolated after being exposed to a snowfall that has buried their homes to the roof (in this version we are simply told that the snow covers the entrance door), through the mining region to the north, the protagonist of the October Revolution of 1934… takes place here with slight betrayals in relation to the original text. Not only does this montage show the journey that free recreation can bring, but it does maintain the fidelity that wisdom advises in the face of such a complete original story: its creators add romantic details, quotes from intellectuals of the time and disrupt episodes such as the dilemma of the teacher’s residence in the Wenceslas house.
Both the editing and Julia Rubio’s lead performance could have benefited from a broader dramatic arc if directed more carefully. However, this Wednesday’s performance seemed to please the majority of the audience, including many teachers. The interpretations of Ainhoa Santamaria and María Ramos are noteworthy.
“Teacher’s Story”. Text: Josefina Aldekoa. Adaptation: Aurora Barilla. Director: Raquel Alarcón. Inclan Valley Theatre. Madrid. Until January 11, 2026.