History of the Project
HisPanic’s main project to date, The Copla Musical, is rooted in Alejandro Postigo’s research in the Intercultural adaptation of Copla. His PhD explores how this historically significant but underappreciated genre can resonate beyond Spain while exposing its themes of exile, identity, and queerness, engaging culturally diverse audiences through multilingual and immersive experiences.
The project has been developed into a musical, a solo drama and a cabaret, and has been presented in Europe and America, receiving acclaim at festivals such as CENIT (Spain), FIT Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia), Voila! Europe Festival (UK), and the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, where it received the Intercultural Dialogue Award.
The Musical
The Copla Musical is a book musical inspired by traditional Spanish Copla (folk) songs in English. It tells a story of freedom, romance and loss – all set in the heart of the Spanish Civil War, where drag artist La Gitana is rescued from prison by a group of Republican fighters and sets out on a mission to spy on the forces that captured her. She moves continents, becomes a drag sensation, finds love… yet always struggles to merge her Spanish past with her American future. La Gitana’s struggle to fit into a changing world is mirrored in her personal life, and through it all, she sings Copla to her audience.
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The Copla Musical is a project developed through years of research and inspired by traditional Spanish Copla (folk) songs that have not seen the light outside of Spain, but now take form of a contemporary musical in English. The production involves storytelling and musical numbers through La Gitana’s cabaret performances that aim to recreate the original atmosphere of Spanish Copla. Copla was an actual genre of music repressed by Franco’s dictatorship and ultimately lost into history... until you see this story unfold.
Poster for the "Collisions Festival". RCCSD, 2012
The Solo
The Copla Solo is a play with Copla songs telling the compelling story of drag artist La Gitana, who escaped Franco’s dictatorship in Spain to become a variety star in America in 1940. La Gitana’s story mirrors that of a queer Spanish migrant in the UK setting out on a journey of self-acceptance, inspired by La Gitana's remarkable experiences. This solo version explored the queerness and subversion of Spanish Copla, and what it takes to come to terms with who you are born to be.
Longer trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93vxhLqeRcA
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The Cabaret
A lecture-fantasia in which Dr Alejandro Postigo de-constructs the traditional Spanish Copla songs and shares their historical significance for queer collectives, inviting the audience to be part of the dialogue. Through his interpretation of songs and his sharing of life stories, the audience witness his rebirth as alter ego Alejjjandra, all while enjoying drinks and interacting with the performer.
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