Arts & culture, Campus & community, Events at Berkeley, Performing arts

Americans battle fascism in musical Heart of Spain

In the latest performance from Theater, Dance and Performance Studies, student actors tell the harrowing story of a group of volunteers from the U.S. who fought against fascism in the Spanish Civil War.

By Public Affairs

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Heart of Spain, co-written by TDPS professor Peter Glazer, tells the story of the US citizens who volunteered to fight against fascism in Spain during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). (Photo by Alessandra Mello)

October 21, 2016

actors in play
Heart of Spain, co-written by TDPS professor Peter Glazer, tells the story of the US citizens who volunteered to fight against fascism in Spain during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). (Photo by Alessandra Mello)
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Some 2,700 Americans joined the International Brigades in Spain, in the hopes of preventing a larger world war. Heart of Spain brings this important moment in history to life through song. (Photo by Alessandra Mello)
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Juanita, played by Veronica Maynez, tries to convince New Yorkers that they could be part of creating “Another America.” (Photo by Alessandra Mello)
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Maria Acosta, played by Isabel Cruz, pleads with Americans to come support the Spanish Republic’s cause in “Come to Spain.” (Photo by Alessandra Mello)
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Yohana Ansari-Thomas, who plays Fernando, performs ¡Arriba, Mis Compañeros! accompanied by guitarist Eric Hamilton, a member of Heart of Spain’s four-person band. (Photo by Alessandra Mello)
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Claire Pearson, who plays Alice, inspires volunteers on their way to Spain, reminding them why they are fighting. (Photo by Alessandra Mello)
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Students Josie Clark-Steinmetz (left) and Melissa Sue Chapman perform a traditional song in Heart of Spain. (Photo by Alessandra Mello)
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One scene in Heart of Spain recreates Robert Capa’s famous photograph “Falling Man,” taken in Spain in 1936. (Photo by Alessandra Mello)
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A parachutist, played by Boris Zabavsky, hangs in the air, falling slowly to Spanish soil as sharpshooters aim from below. (Photo by Alessandra Mello)
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A Spanish Civil War volunteer, played by Bri’Unia Stock, writes a letter back home about her war experience. (Photo by Alessandra Mello)

In Heart of Spain, the latest performance from UC Berkeley’s Department of Theater, Dance and Performance Studies, student actors tell the harrowing story of a group of volunteers from the U.S. who fought against fascism in the Spanish Civil War.

The musical — as told through eyewitness accounts, letters, poems and traditional and original songs — follows a cast of Americans from New York, where they began in 1936, and brings the audience on their journey across the Atlantic, over the Pyrenees and into battle as they fight to take back the Spanish Republic following General Francisco Franco’s fascist coup.

Heart of Spain opens today (Friday, Oct. 21) and continues through Sunday, Oct. 30, at the Zellerbach Playhouse on campus. Following the 2 p.m. matinée performance on Sunday, Oct. 23, playwrights and composers Peter Glazer, a professor in the department, and Eric Peltoniemi will discuss the creation and evolution of the show.

Tickets are $13-$20 and can be purchased online or at the door. The show runs two hours and 30 minutes with one intermission.

Learn more about Theater, Dance and Performance Studies.