La Nave Argo is the theater group of the Inmaculada Jesuitas school in Alicante and will celebrate its 14th anniversary in October this year. Right now, is experiencing the most important moment in its history They are preparing a national tour that will see them perform 20 times throughout Spain.
Three teachers from the center, Carlos Aragüez (History), Fernando Nicolás (Latin and Greek) and Marién Navarro (Philosophy), started this project in 2010. The center’s goal is to promote classical culture in middle school and high school students and to explore the tremendous potential of theater in the education of adolescents. The result is a long history of 80 performances, currently performing eight Greek tragedies, two comedies and theater classics such as Shakespeare, García Lorca or more contemporaries such as Yasminza Reza, Juan Mayorga or Miguel del Arco.
The achievements in terms of cultural motivation in students are immeasurable, but in terms of external recognition the group’s curriculum is already becoming important: Three times the First National Award for Greek-Latin Theater from the Ministry of Culture (2019, 2020 and 2022); once Buero Vallejo-Coca Cola Award for Young Theater (2020) or four regional Talía awards for Greek-Latin theater (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) among others.
Currently, La Nave Argo is in the process of editing Aeschylus’ tragedy. EumenidesIt will be screened on May 16 at the Provincial Greco-Latin Theater Competition organized by the University of Alicante. However, In the middle of the process, the winter-spring tour begins on February 5, which will include two main works: Euripides’ tragedy Iphigenia in Aulis and Aristophanes’ comedy Women’s Council. Both works will be presented in double sessions over five intense days in the Balearic Islands: on 5 February at the Teatre del Born in Ciutadella (Menorca), on 6 and 7 February at the Teatro President in Palma de Mallorca, and on 8 and In Can on February 9th. Ventosa (Ibiza).
After the week in the Balearic Islands The tour of both works will continue with the arrival of spring on March 20 at Teatro Romano de Itálica (Sevilla), on April 16 at Teatro Romano de Sagunto and on April 17 at Parque Torres Auditorium in Cartagena. Whoever wants to laugh together in Alicante sometimes Women’s CouncilYou will have the opportunity to do this on April 3 at the Caja Mediterráneo Foundation Theater on Avenida del Doctor Gadea.
For Nave Argo, this tour means consolidating our theater and education project; for this tour exemplifies the growing interest throughout Spain in the group’s works being featured in Greco-Latin theater festivals. For an amateur group consisting mostly of students, having the opportunity to travel around Spain promoting culture and theater and to do this outside our borders at international festivals such as Tournon-sur-Rhone (France) or Messini (Greece) is a far cry. exceeds all expectations This was possible at the time it was founded.
As an educational experience, the linguistic, cultural and human skills that students develop every day through such activities are countless and far exceed what any single subject can provide them with individually. But as a cultural representative from the La Nave Argo group, they express “particular pride in being a way for many young people to access culture and develop knowledge of the roots of Mediterranean culture.” Works that are undoubtedly included in the tragedies and comedies written by names such as Euripides, Sophocles, Aeschylus, Aristophanes or Plautus, and continue to appeal to audiences of all ages after more than two thousand years.