Boise State University to bring a 400-year-old play to Boise based on the life of Basque nun Catalina de Eraso
My friend, who works at BSU, sent me a link this morning to an article published last week by Boise State University. The article talks about the efforts of Edward “Mac” Test, an associate professor in the English Department, to bring a 400-year-old play to Boise. The play, “Comedia Famosa De La Monja Alférez,” tells the story of Catalina de Erauso, a Basque nun who ran away from the convents and lived a life of adventures disguised as a man.
I had never heard Catalina’s story, but after reading about her on this Wikipedia entry, I can’t wait for the play to come to Boise. She was definitely a character and I would have hated to be on the wrong side of her friendship.
Bringing a 400-Year-Old Play to Boise
BY: Brady W Moore Published 3:49 PM / June 22, 2017
Edward “Mac” Test, an associate professor in the English Department, is packing his bags and headed east to spend his summer digging through archives in Madrid, Spain.
Edward “Mac” Test at Boise’s Basque block @ BSU
Test is translating a nearly 400-year-old play, “Comedia Famosa De La Monja Alférez,” into English for the very first time. The play is based on the true story of a Basque woman named Catalina de Erauso, who escaped a nunnery at 18, cut off her hair, dressed as a man, and jumped aboard a ship bound for the new world. She rose to the rank of “alférez” (lieutenant), while living “the fantastic life of a conquistador, gambler and swashbuckler.”
Test’s project already has garnered international attention and ultimately will lead to performances of the play for the first time in America. The Boise State Department of Theatre Arts, UCLA and McMaster University in Toronto all have expressed interest in producing the performance.
While in Spain, Test said his days will consist of waking up early to dive into books, manuscripts and letters at the Biblioteca Nacional de España, or National Library of Spain and at the Museo Nacional del Prado, or Prado Museum.
“I’ll sit in there for hours and just read, take notes and type,” said Test. “You can spend a month on a research fellowship and by the time you get to the end you have so many books you still want to see but you don’t have enough time so near the end you’re just combing through as fast as you can.”
Test said he’s excited to bring a story with contemporary ties and a Basque connection to Boise.
“There’s a very small number of scholars who know about it. But is the play known around the world? No. Especially to English speakers, that’s why I want to bring it here,” said Test.
(For the original article, click here.)
- San Juan Eguna, the Basque summer solstice
- VI Edition of Bergara’s Summer Postcard contest, organized by Jardun Euskara Elkartea
