Sin Sangre (Without Blood)

The development of a new, idiosyncratic genre is the well-realised aim of Teatro Cinema. Two stage-wide screens are positioned one behind the other, leaving a two-metre playing space for the performers in between. In this setting, intricately choreographed live action operates in synchronicity with projected images to create a strongly filmic style. Sin Sangre (Without Blood) is the first in a trilogy that establishes the company’s own vocabulary of cinematic theatre.

Alessandro Baricco’s novella, on which the play is based, provides a storyline befitting a work of film noir. The piece explores the nature of revenge through a tale of murder and deceit in a country ravaged by civil war. Accordingly, the lighting is dim, the film sequences are shadowy and the atmosphere is dark. The onscreen images variously create believable settings and bizarre dream worlds. Utilisation of both screens allows for the actors to appear within an impressively three-dimensional environment with little use of props.

Music underscores much of the play and heightens the drama. The use of masks and a somewhat exaggerated acting style verges on the ridiculous yet, teamed with the elaborate screen spectacle, it provides a uniquely engaging and thought-provoking experience. Teatro Cinema have not only formed their own genre but have also fashioned a true work of art.