Contemporary drama
The Swallow
A play about loss, identity and the capacity to feel other people’s pain as our own.
The play
What makes us human?
“Of everything we are and do, what do you think truly defines our humanity?” For Amelia, a mother wounded to the depths of her soul, the answer lies in pain. What truly makes us human is the ability to feel other people’s pain as our own. That is what sets us apart from beasts, she says. This is the feeling running through the spine of The Swallow, a play directly inspired by the terrorist attack at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub in June 2016 and one of the author’s most internationally acclaimed works.
The play brings together two characters, Amelia and Ramón. Amelia, a strict singing teacher, receives Ramón at home; he wants to improve his vocal technique so he can sing at the memorial for his recently deceased mother. The chosen song has a special meaning for him and, apparently, for the woman too. Despite her initial reservations, she agrees to help her young student. As the lesson progresses, the two characters reveal details of their past, deeply marked by an Islamist terrorist attack that struck the city the previous year. The true meaning of the attack, the terrorist’s motivations and the long shadow cast by its victims provoke a confrontation between Amelia and Ramón that leads them to discover the truth about those terrible events. That truth forces them to reflect on their identities, the acceptance of loss and the fragility of love, stripping them bare until their destinies are forever joined in a shared song to life.
The play is directly inspired by the June 2016 terrorist attack at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, in which 49 people were killed, but The Swallow is not only about that attack. It also echoes the tragedies at the Bataclan in Paris, on the seafront in Nice and on Barcelona’s La Rambla. It tries to understand the senselessness of horror, the consequences of hatred and the strategies we use so that it does not destroy our souls. When Amelia and Ramón meet, they face two paths: they can choose to hate each other or walk together. Both have reasons to inflict even more pain on one another, or to recognise themselves in the other’s suffering and refuse to let the beasts win. In a way they are like all of us, because in the face of an indiscriminate attack we are all victims, whether we were there or not, and we all face the same crossroads: hatred or love. Our world depends on the direction we choose.
Credits and premiere
World premiere
September 2017 · London
Theatre: Cervantes Theatre
Written by: Guillem Clua
Directed by: Paula Paz
Spanish cast: Amparo Climent and David Luque
English cast: Jeryl Burgess and David Luque
Set design: Alejandro Andújar
Lighting: Jon Jewett
Costume design: Panamá Díaz
English translation: Tim Gutteridge
Spanish premiere
San Lorenzo de El Escorial · September 2018
Written by: Guillem Clua
Directed by: Josep Maria Mestres
Cast: Carmen Maura and Félix Gómez
Theatre: Real Coliseo de Carlos III
Production: LAZONA
Set design: Alessio Meloni
Lighting: Juan Gómez-Cornejo
Costume design: Tatiana Hernández
Music: Iñaki Salvador
Assistant director: David Blanco
Credits for the Spanish production · National premiere · Comunidad de Madrid
Catalan premiere · L’Oreneta
Barcelona · 2022
Theatre: La Villarroel
Written by: Guillem Clua
Directed by: Josep Maria Mestres
Cast: Emma Vilarasau and Dafnis Balduz
Set design: Alessio Meloni
Costume design: Nídia Tusal
Lighting: Ignasi Camprodon
Hair and makeup: Núria Llunell
Original music: Iñaki Salvador
Production: Focus, LAZONA and Un 9 Teatre a l’Est
Other performances: Teatre-Auditori Emma Vilarasau, Sant Cugat
International reach
Productions
2017–2018
- London, Reino Unido — Cervantes Theatre, 2017.
- Athens, Greece — Teatro Gloria and gira, 2017–2019.
- Catania, Italia — Teatro Stabile Catania, 2018; gira nacional, 2019.
- Montevideo, Uruguay — Teatro del Notariado, 2018.
- España — Real Auditorio Carlos III de El Escorial, 2018; Teatro Infanta Isabel de Madrid, 2019; gira nacional, 2018–2020.
- Târgu-Mureș, Rumanía — Studio Theatre, 2018.
2019–2020
- São Paulo, Brasil — Teatro Nair Bello and gira nacional, 2019–2023.
- Puerto Rico — Teatro Arriví, 2019.
- Lima, Perú — Centro Cultural Español and gira, 2019.
- Creta, Grecia — Arena Teatro, 2019.
- Miami, EE. UU. — Miami Dade County Auditorium and gira por Florida, 2019.
- New York, EE. UU. — Repertorio Español, 2020.
2021–2023
- Santo Domingo, República Dominicana — Teatro Nacional, 2021.
- París, Francia — Théâtre Hébertot, 2021–2022.
- Athens, Greece — nueva producción, Teatro Mousouri, 2022–2023.
- Barcelona, España — La Villarroel and gira catalana, 2022–2023.
- Estambul, Turquía — Oyun Atölyesi, 2022.
- New York, EE. UU. — nueva producción, Repertorio Español, 2023.
- Mexico City, México — Teatro Milán, 2023.
- Prague, República Checa — Studio DVA Divadlo, 2023.
2024–2026
- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, España — Teatro El Aparte and gira canaria, 2024.
- Cascais, Portugal — Academia das Artes and gira nacional, 2024.
- Larnaca, Chipre — Teatro Scala, 2024.
- València, España — nueva producción, Teatre Micalet, 2024.
- Washington D. C., EE. UU. — Mexican Cultural Institute, 2024.
- París, Francia — nueva producción, Théâtre Stéphane Gildas, 2025.
- Madrid, España — nueva producción, El Pasillo Verde Teatro, 2025–2026.
- Athens, Greece — nueva producción, Teatro Eleni Erimou, 2026.
Staged readings
Roma, Italia — Teatro Argentina, 2018 · Chicago, EE. UU. — Instituto Cervantes, 2018 · Bogotá, Colombia — Sala Seki Sano, 2024.
Gallery
Press
Catalan production
“The Swallow is a moving play that is easy to connect with.”
— Manel Haro, Llegir.cat, 2022.
Read the full review
Spanish production
“La golondrina is a beautiful, combative and finely crafted play.”
— Marcos Ordóñez, El País, 2019.
Read the full review
International production · London
«A very intense experience and a great plea for honesty and acceptance.»
— Howard Loxton, British Theatre Guide, 2018.
Read the full review
International press
“The Swallow is an intensely written, directed and brilliantly acted roller coaster.”
— Shanine Salmon, View from the Cheap Seat.
GREEK PRODUCTION
“La golondrina pays tribute to the victims of the homophobic attack in the most dignified way: through a beautiful work of art.”
— Christina Mihalou, To Periodiko.
GREEK PRODUCTION
«En ocasiones lloras and sonríes al mismo tiempo. Profundamente emocionante y, a la vez, luminosa. En una palabra, humana.»
— Maria Karsounaki, Kathimerini.