Rehearsals for La Celestina are well underway, and everyone is excited to share with you this unusual script, based on the Spanish classic novel of the same name.  It’s an unusual show, to be sure. The original novel, written by Fernando de Rojas in 1499, was a work of prose written in acts comprised almost solely of dialogue. As a literary artist, Rojas existed on the verge between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The medieval influence is evident in various themes present in La Celestina, such as morality, punishment and pessimism while the themes of sensuality and pleasure belong to the Renaissance era. This new adaptation by Cuban playwright Raquel Carrió retains these original sentiments, but modernizes the language somewhat to make it easier to follow. (And for those who don’t speak Spanish at all, we will be providing easy-to-follow supertitles in English, projected on the back of the stage right above the actors.)

Want to know more about the background of this story? Then request our complimentary study guide in English or Spanish, or follow installments published on Milagro’s blog. Meanwhile, let’s find out more about the woman playing the title role of La Celestina, the lovely Argentine actress Bibiana Lorenzo Johnston.

Bibiana was born in Buenos Aires and has been involved with artistic projects since she was a young girl. As a member of Teatro Educativo with her father, mother and brother, she made her theatrical debut at 12 years old. She studied in various theatre schools in Buenos Aires and performed with a number of companies. With Teatro Latino, she traveled to Spain performing works by playwrights such as Pirandello, García Lorca and others. She has lived in the U.S. for 13 years. She loves to return to her first love, acting, and has appeared at Milagro in both Rosalba y los Llaveros and Bodas de sangre as well as a staged reading of La niña de cera.

Here, Marketing Assistant Stefanus Gunawan chats briefly with Bibiana about La Celestina.

In your opinion, who is Celestina?  How do you integrate your experience as an actress to embrace Celestina?
Celestina is a strong woman of that era, who has chosen a free-spirited life which pleases her without the concern of anything else.  She has no concern for her own actions and the consequences that affects the people around her.  The classics have always attracted me, as both literature and theatre, and La Celestina is one of the great classics of the theatre world.

How did you begin acting?
As a young child, I have always acted whether in school or with my father.  In my house and in my grandmother’s house, we sang, recited lines, danced, and shared all types of theatrical activities that one could possibly imagine.

What motivates you to act?   
I act because it is my passion.  In one form or another, I always try to be involved in the theatre world in order to sustain this burning desire.  However, it is complicated to adapt this to my daily life and include it to the rest of my responsibilities in life.  I would have dedicated my life completely to acting, however my destiny brought me to other paths which also have been amazing, such as having children in which without them my life would have no meaning.

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Bibiana Lorenzo Johnston nació en Buenos Aires, Argentina y ha estado en proyectos artísticos desde que era niña. Como miembro de Teatro Educativo con su padre, madre y hermano, su primer papel fue a la edad de 12 años. Estudió en varias escuelas de teatro en BsAs y se presentó con diversos grupos. Con el grupo de Teatro Latino, viajó a España presentando trabajos de autores tales como Pirandello, García Lorca y otros. Vive en los Estados Unidos desde hace 13 años. Bibiana siempre ha deseado volver a su amor por la actuación, y lo hizo cuando apareció en del Milagro en Rosalba y los Llaveros y Bodas de sangre, más una lectura dramatizada de La niña de cera.

A usted ¿quién es Celestina y cómo establece su experiencia como una actriz para ser Celestina?
Celestina es una mujer fuerte para la época, que ha elegido la libertad de hacer con su vida lo que le plazca, sin miramientos de ningún tipo. Sin medir las consecuencias para ella, ni para la gente que la rodeaba. Siempre me han atraído literalmente y actoralmente los Clásicos, y La Celestina es uno de los grandes clásicos del teatro universal.

¿Cómo empezó actuando?
Desde muy pequeña, en la escuela, y con mi padre que también fue actor. En mi casa, y en la casa de mi abuela se cantaba, recitaba, bailaba y compartíamos todos los juegos teatrales que se puedan imaginar.

Hoy en día, ¿por qué todavía actúa y la importancia en que le da a usted? 
Actúo porque es mi pasión, siempre de una forma u otra trato de estar involucrada en algo para mantener la llamita encendida. Sin embargo, es muy complicado adaptarlo a la vida diaria del trabajo y las demás responsabilidades de la vida.  Me hubiera dedicado a la actuación por completo, pero el destino me fue llevando por otros caminos también maravillosos como haber criado a mis cuatro hijos, que sin ellos mi vida ni tendría sentido.