Revolutionary Alpujarra theatre project on last push before grand opening

ANDALUCIA’S revolutionary theatre project has just days left to finish construction before its grand opening this month.

Un Teatro Entre Todos – or A Theatre for All – is the dream of expat Anna Kemp, who hopes to build a spectacular amphitheatre in the Alpujarra mountains.

A crowd-funding project has earned more than 6,000, and now the team is beginning the final push, with just two weeks to build the remaining 50 seats.

But on August 15, the theatre will make its debut, with appearances from ex-Genesis drummer turned author, Chris Stewart, who has lived for the last few years in the Alpujarra.

Stewart will be followed by a performance of some of Lorca’s unknown poems and plays, prepared exclusively for this stage.

The theatre will then play host to the company Theatre Balls – two improvisers, a musician and an actor – for a night of impromptu theatre.

Followed by the jazz-funk quartet, The John Scofield Tribute Band, to celebrate one of the most important figures in the world of jazz.

Oxford-educated Anna was inspired by childhood visits to the Minack Theatre in Cornwall, in the UK.

“The charm and the beauty of the experience left a huge impression on me. I remember as the night closed in and the light faded, it’s a really magical experience,” Anna, 44, told the Olive Press.

Anna fell in love with Laroles after being involved in a film project there. She now lives there with her husband and three children.

“The village struck such a chord with me, because the people who grow up there stay and start their own families. You don’t get that in England,” she said.

“The traditions and customs of the village are so important to the people who live there. I thought that outsiders would really benefit from experiencing that, and the village would benefit from the tourism.”

For more information and to donate, visit www.sponsume.com/project/un-teatro-entre-todos