Seven Cruel Stories: bold Polish theatre production comes to Estepona this November

Estepona is set to welcome an intriguing and thought-provoking piece of international theatre this November, as acclaimed Polish company TEATR21 brings Seven Cruel Stories (Siedem historii okrutnych) to the Teatro Auditorio Felipe VI. 

Making its Spanish premiere on Monday 16 November at 7pm, the production challenges audiences to reconsider the boundaries between humans and animals, exploring themes of freedom, ethics, disability and the way we treat other living beings.

Seven Cruel Stories asks what happens when animals take centre stage and humans are forced to question their place in the world?

Seven unusual stories challenge the status quo

Directed by Justyna Wielgus, with dramaturgy by Justyna Lipko-Konieczna, the production brings together seven imaginative tales exploring the complex relationship between humans and animals, as well as freedom, ethics, disability and social exclusion.

The stories are anything but conventional. Artist Francisco de Goya comes face to face with Pigcasso, the famous painting pig, while a dog revered as a saint in 13th-century France, enters into a debate with playwright George Bernard Shaw for an unexpected debate. Meanwhile, cows emerge as unlikely heroes, crossing seemingly insurmountable borders.

Brigitte Bardot, the iconic French actress and animal rights campaigner, provides a connecting thread between the different stories.

Inspired by Sunaura Taylor’s book Beasts of Burden: Animal and Disability Liberation, the production uses irreverent humour and unexpected historical connections to challenge human privilege and question why some lives are considered more valuable than others.

Free inclusive art workshop in Estepona

The theatre experience extends beyond the stage with a free workshop on inclusion and accessibility in the performing arts on Sunday 15 November at 12pm. Led by Justyna Wielgus and the TEATR21 cast, the 90-minute session takes place at Casa de las Tejerinas, Plaza de las Flores. Participants will explore how cultural spaces can become more accessible and ensure people with disabilities have an equal voice and presence. Places are limited, subject to availability.

Tickets, times and essential information

The Spanish premiere of Seven Cruel Stories takes place on Monday 16 November at 7pm at the Teatro Auditorio Felipe VI, Estepona. Tickets cost €16.50 and can be purchased through the theatre’s website or Gigleon.com.

Recommended for audiences aged 16 and over, it includes explicit scenes and loud, violent sounds.

With its unusual storytelling, challenging themes and distinctive creative perspective, Seven Cruel Stories promises a memorable theatrical experience, inviting Estepona audiences to question familiar assumptions and rethink what it means to share the world with other living beings.

Co-funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund

This event is co-organised with the support of the Polish Cultural Institute in Madrid and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute