Antonio Álamo

Born in Córdoba (Spain) in 1964, he soon moved with his parents to Madrid. At the age of 17, he settled in Seville. He graduated in law from the University of Seville and from a young age showed an interest in theatre, becoming both a playwright and a director. == Career ==

Author of a number of sharp-witted comedies, Álamo has written around a dozen plays since 1991, among them the trilogy made up of Los borrachos (1993), Los enfermos and Yo, Satán. In 2006, he collaborated on the staging of El príncipe tirano by the Renaissance writer Juan de la Cueva for the Centro Andaluz de Teatro in Seville. Directed by Pepa Gamboa, this plot about greed, ambition and the contradictions of human nature was reworked by Álamo from two original texts, La comedia del príncipe tirano and La tragedia del príncipe tirano. Co-director of the theatre company El Traje de Artaud, he has worked as assistant director to Alfonso Zurro and Jesús Cracio. With his play Veinticinco años menos un día, written in 2005, and premiered on 17 September 2011 at the Teatro Español in Madrid, he set out to pay tribute to English theatre. In 2007, he wrote Cantando bajo las balas, an impossible dialogue between Millán Astray and Miguel de Unamuno. In 2009, he wrote, together with Juan Carlos Rubio, the play La ciudad de todos los tiempos, based on texts by Borges and music from One Thousand and One Nights, a project with which the city of Córdoba supported its bid to become the 2016 European Capital of Culture. In 2012, he wrote La copla negra, a play set in Cádiz, "the south of the south", whose protagonists are a group of chirigoteros (Carnival song performers). It premiered in Córdoba on 22 March 2013. The premiere took place at the Teatro Palacio Valdés in Avilés with the following principal cast: Ana López Segovia (Juanita Calamidad), Teresa Quintero and Alejandra López Segovia. == Style and theatricality ==

Álamo is associated with the so-called "dramaturgy of the millennium", a generation of playwrights influenced by the avant-gardes, Samuel Beckett and Fernando Arrabal, which has grown up around the Marqués de Bradomín Prize. This generation includes the Asturian writers Maxi Rodríguez, José Busto, David Desola and Borja Ortiz, among others. Positioned on the threshold of the digital age, they draw on the Spanish dramatic tradition (such as José Luis Alonso de Santos or Fermín Cabal) but see their work as incomplete without a strong narrative backbone. In Álamo's own words, he feels "the need for a world with fiction". == Awards ==

Some of Antonio Álamo awards include: • 1991 – Marqués de Bradomín Prize for La oreja izquierda de Van Gogh. • 1993 – Tirso de Molina Prize for Los borrachos. • 1993 – Ciudad de Alcorcón Prize for Los borrachos. • 1996 – Editorial Lengua de Trapo Novel Prize for Breve historia de la inmortalidad. • 1996 – Borne Theatre Prize for Los enfermos. • 1996 – Ercilla Prize for Best Production of the Year for Los borrachos. • 1996 – Palencia Theatre Prize for Pasos. • 2000 – Caja de España Prize for Grande como una tumba. • 2004 – Premio Jaén de Novela for El incendio del paraíso. • 2004 – "Cordobés del Año" (Cordovan of the Year), awarded by the Asociación Cultural Al-Ándalus of Palma del Río. • 2005 – Borne Theatre Prize for Veinticinco años menos un día. • 2006 – Chivas Telón Prize for Best New Play for Yo, Satán. • 2007 – Yo, Satán received the awards for Best Production, Best Direction (Juan José Martín) and Best Supporting Actor (William Guite) at the Municipal Theatre Awards of Caracas. • 2007 – Jury Prize for Best Show at the Mostra Internacional de Teatro de Rivadavia for Cantando bajo las balas. • 2007 – Chivas Telón Prize for Best Play of the Year for Cantando bajo las balas. • 2010 – World Theatre Day Prize, awarded by the Diputación de Sevilla. • 2017 – Premio Córdoba an Escena, awarded by the ESAD and the Diputación de Córdoba. • 2017 – Premio Lorca for stage adaptation for El pintor de batallas. • 2017 – Teatro Rojas Prize for Best New Play for El pintor de batallas. • 2020 – XXI SGAE Children's Theatre Prize for La increíble historia de la caca mutante. • 2023 – Premio Lorca for playwriting (Autoría Teatral) for Sí, a todo. == Works ==

Novels Álamo published Breve historia de la inmortalidad (Lengua de Trapo Narrative Prize 1996, published by Lengua de Trapo) and has contributed short stories to the collections Páginas amarillas (Lengua de Trapo, 1998) and Daños colaterales (Lengua de Trapo, 2002). In 1998 he published his second novel, Una buena idea, with Planeta, in which he uses the voice of a child to criticise literary solemnity. The following year saw the appearance of ¿Quién se ha meado en mi cama? (Lengua de Trapo, 1999). He has also published a collection of short stories, Los perros y los gatos. His novel Nata soy (2001) later served as the basis for his play Yo, Satán. In 2004 his novel El incendio del paraíso was published by Mondadori. == Bibliography ==

Original works • Agujeros, finalist for the Caja de España Prize 1992. Premiered at Sala Imperdible, Seville, by the company Atalaya. • La oreja izquierda de Van Gogh, Marqués de Bradomín Prize 1991. Premiered at Sala Olimpia, Madrid, by Atalaya as part of the Contemporary Spanish Playwrights Showcase organised by CNNTE (1993). • Los borrachos, premiered in Granada on 17 January 1996 at Teatro Alhambra, produced by the Centro Andaluz de Teatro and directed by Alfonso Zurro. • Los espejos de Velázquez, premiered in Badajoz on 20 May 1999 at Teatro López de Ayala, produced by TNT and directed by Pepa Gamboa. • Pasos, Teatro Romea, Murcia, 7 May 1999. Directed by Juan Pedro Campoy, produced by ESAD. • Los enfermos, Teatro de La Abadía, 20 November 1999. Directed by Rosario Ruiz Rodgers, produced by La Abadía and the Madrid Autumn Festival. • Caos, Puertollano, 27 April 2000. Directed by Eduardo Fuentes, produced by Fila 7 and Keteinkrepo. • El punto, 10 December 2003, Hospital Psiquiátrico Penitenciario de Sevilla. Directed by Antonio Álamo. • En un lugar de la niebla, 1 July 2005, Teatro Municipal, International Classical Theatre Festival of Almagro. Directed by Jesús Cracio, produced by the regional government of Castilla–La Mancha. • Yo, Satán, 22 October 2005, Teatro Federico García Lorca, Getafe (Madrid). Directed by Álvaro Lavín, K Producciones. • Chirigóticas, November 2005, Madrid, opening of Teatro José Monleón. Directed by Antonio Álamo, lyrics by Ana López Segovia. • Cantando bajo las balas, Teatro Juan Bernabé, Lebrija, 23 February 2007, produced by K Producciones, directed by Álvaro Lavín. • Deseos no deseados, 23 October 2008, Teatrex, Caracas. Directed by Juan José Martín. • La maleta de los nervios, October 2009, Festival Madrid Sur, Teatro José Monleón, Leganés. Directed by Antonio Álamo. • Patadas, November 2009, Teatro Central, Seville. Directed by Ramón Bocanegra. • Veinticinco años menos un día, XXX Premio Born, production of Teatro Español and the Diputación de Sevilla, premiered in the main auditorium of Teatro Español on 17 September 2011. Directed by Pepa Gamboa. • La copla negra, co-production with the Centro Dramático Nacional. Premiere at Teatro Palacio Valdés, Avilés, 8 March 2013. Directed by Antonio Álamo. • España no es Uganda, Sala Cero Teatro, Seville, 6 December 2013. Directed by Antonio Álamo. • Juanita Calamidad, Teatro Palacio Valdés, Avilés, 2 October 2015. Directed by Antonio Álamo. Short theatre • Una luz que ya no está (1997), short piece included in the show A bocados, produced by the Centro Dramático Nacional, Madrid, 9 April. • Ataques de santidad (1998), short-play show produced by Teatro del Azar, Ponferrada, 20 November. • Entre el cielo y la tierra se borraron los confines (1999), Barcelona, 2 December, directed by Oriol Grau i Elias, as part of the show Sopa de radio. • Muriendo, Madrid, Casa de América (1999), 15 December, short piece directed by Consuelo Trujillo, in the show Cabaré Borges. • Morir lo más lejos posible (2000), 1 May, Elche, as part of a show of four monologues by contemporary Spanish authors. • Grande como una tumba, Caja de España Prize 2000. • Confesiones (2001), Festival de Teatro Madrid Sur, November. • La vida, a poco que salga bien, es maravillosa, pero no es el caso (2004), short piece in the show Los siete pecados capitales. Directed by Alfonso Zurro, produced by the Centro Andaluz de Teatro, 14 January, Teatro Central, Seville. • Dos exiliados (2004), Buenos Aires, directed by Guillermo Ghío. Dramaturgies • El retablo de las maravillas, based on the text by Miguel de Cervantes, Lebrija, 30 March 2001, Teatro Juan Bernabé. • Cielo e infierno (based on texts by Teresa of Ávila and Luis de León), 11 July 2002, Salamanca. Directed by Jesús Cracio. • Seis fantasmas (based on the popular legend of María la Brava), 11 July 2002, Salamanca. Directed by José Luis Serrano Jaro. • Donde hay escalas, hay tropiezos (dramaturgy of La Celestina), 12 July 2002, Salamanca. Directed by Jesús Cracio. • Las lecciones del hambre (dramaturgy of Lázaro de Tormes), 12 July 2002, Salamanca. Directed by José Luis Serrano Jaro. • Unamuno en la niebla (dramaturgy based on the work of Miguel de Unamuno), 4 July 2003, Salamanca, directed by Jesús Cracio. • Donde hay escalas, hay tropiezos (second version), Salamanca, 5 July 2003, directed by Jesús Cracio. • La cueva de Salamanca (dramaturgy of Cervantes’ interlude), 11 July 2003, Salamanca, directed by José Luis Serrano Jaro. • Las ferias de Madrid (2004), dramaturgy of the play by Lope de Vega, Madrid, directed by Jesús Cracio. • La mujer y el pelele (2004), dramaturgy based on the novel by Pierre Louÿs, presented at Teatro Central, Seville, during the Bienal de Flamenco, directed by Pepa Gamboa. • El eterno retorno (2005), directed by Pepa Gamboa, produced by the Agencia de Flamenco, featuring Rocío Molina, Juan José Amador and Pasión Vega. • El príncipe tirano, dramaturgy based on the work by Juan de la Cueva. Premiered 13 July 2006 at the Teatro Municipal de Almagro, International Classical Theatre Festival of Almagro, produced by the Centro Andaluz de Teatro and Teatro Lope de Vega, directed by Pepa Gamboa. • Johnny cogió su fusil (2006), dramaturgy based on Dalton Trumbo's novel, 4 November, Festival Madrid Sur, directed by Jesús Cracio. • El tiempo del diablo, September 2008, Teatro Lope de Vega, Seville; dramaturgy for Diego Carrasco, directed by Pepa Gamboa. • Tórtola Valencia, October 2008, Teatro Lope de Vega, Seville; dramaturgy for Isabel Bayón, directed by Pepa Gamboa. • Carmen, dramaturgy based on the novel by Prosper Mérimée, directed by Alfonso Zurro for the Compañía de Teatro Clásico de Sevilla, premiered 18 November 2010 at Teatro Lope de Vega, Seville. • Cardenio (''Shakespeare's lost play re-imagined), dramaturgy in collaboration with Gregory Doran for the Royal Shakespeare Company, based on the incomplete text by Shakespeare and Fletcher about a character from Don Quixote''. Directed by Greg Doran, premiered 16 April at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. • Sueño de una noche de verano, free adaptation of Shakespeare's play. Directed by Pepa Gamboa, premiered 12 May 2011 at Teatro TNT, Seville. • El bobo del colegio, dramaturgy based on the play by Lope de Vega, company in Vitro, directed by José Luis Fernández, premiered 29 June 2012 at the Festival de Artes Escénicas de Alcalá. • Dando el cante, dramaturgy based on a text by Inma la Bruja, premiered 11 May 2012 at Teatro Alameda, Málaga. • Hora de cierre, dance show with choreography by Isabel Vázquez, stage direction by Paloma Díaz and texts by Antonio Álamo, Teatro Central, Seville, 26 October 2013. == References ==