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Sunday 26th of May 2013
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Madrid in English. News, views, events and essential information for both tourists and residents. This is the online adventure of Madrid's leading English-language print and digital publication, InMadrid, serving the English-speaking community of Madrid, Spain since 1996. Enjoy our site and if you find it useful let us know by liking us on facebook.

Ed's Pick

The Freshly Squeezed team present stand up and improv comedy in Madrid, but they also host Spanish performers who want to test their routines in English. Rachel Morgan chats to them about the lure of language and laughs

Your palms are sweating. In front of you is a sea of eager faces waiting patiently for you to bring a smile to their lips. You know every word and pause of your routine, but your monologue is not in your native language.

We take a look at an innovative new multi-media and print magazine for English learners

Chaucer tells us that April is the month when people like to go on adventures. Certainly, starting a new company in this economic climate requires a certain spirit of adventure, though the team behind Your English Supplement (Yes) are hardly reckless. They are the same people who spent the last 14 years producing the monthly English-learning magazine, Think in English.

Madrileña actress, model, and presenter Cristina Pedroche is about to head to the Dominican Republic to cover the Ron Barceló Desalia music festival. Jeff Wiseman finds out more about her traits, tastes and... tortoise

Having started as a slaughterhouse, Madrid’s Matadero now hosts some of the city’s most cutting-edge art, theatre and cinema. Alyssa Rasmussen pays a visit to discover why it’s drawing attention

In 2009, when I first landed in Madrid, some friends and I spent time looking over the InMadrid listings, marking exhibitions and events that looked appealing. Our scribbles led us south, to an area not yet sketched onto my mental map of the city.

Don Justo, an 87-year-old monk, has spent half his life creating one of the most unusual churches in Europe. Laura Tabor watches her step as she investigates the half-built structure that dominates the skyline of Mejorada del Campo

Just 40 minutes by bus from Madrid stands a structure so wildly improbable that people from all over the world have been coming to gape at it: an under-construction cathedral with only two people working on it full time—former monk, Don Justo Gallego, and his assistant, Ángel López.

Event Focus

Venue: .
Until: 30 Jun.
If you’ve ever felt like you’ve been brutally isolated or stuck in your own personal jail cell, then you will definitely be able to relate to La Danza de la Muerte (The Dance of the Dead) by August St
Venue: .
Until: 2 Jun.
Cosmopolitan Shopping Week launches its third annual promotional event at Plaza Callao from Wed, 29 May.
Venue: Teatros del Canal.
Until: 2 Jun.
The 5th annual Festival de Improvisación Teatral (FESTIM013—Improvisational Theatre Festival) includes talented theatre companies from the US, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina.
Venue: .
Until: 31 May.
This year sees the 12th edition of the ImagineIndia International Film Festival, which takes place in three locations: Filmoteca Española, Cineteca El Matadero and Intermediae El Matadero, together sh
Venue: .
Until: 23 Jun.
If you love design and architecture, look no further than Casa Décor, the largest exhibition of interior design and architecture in Europe.
Venue: .
Until: 9 Jun.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of El Festival de Otoño a Primavera and to commemorate the Festival has extended its season, which has been running since February.
Venue: Teatro Nuevo Apolo.
Until: 2 Jun.
The Russian Classical Ballet takes to the stage in Madrid from 8 May to perform three renowned classical works: El lago de los cisnes (Swan Lake, 8-19 May), Giselle (22-26 May) and La bella durmiente
Venue: Teatro Fernán Gómez.
Until: 30 Jun.
This exhibition of Latin American folk art features 450 artists from more than 22 countries, displaying in excess of 1,600 works.
Venue: Museo del Prado.
Until: 10 Nov.
Hidden Beauty, from Fra Angelico to Fortuny features more than 250 small-scale works and spans more than six centuries of artistic expression, selected from a massive survey of the Museo del Prado’s c
Venue: Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.
Until: 2 Sep.
This major retrospective of Salvador Dalí, one of the 20th century’s most influential artists, will include more than 200 of his works.
Venue: Teatro Kapitl.
Until: 29 May.
Londoner James Blake began his final year studying popular music while recording songs in his bedroom. He released his debut 12” Air and Lack Thereof in July, 2009.
Venue: Museo del Traje.
Until: 16 Jun.
The Museo del Traje is exhibiting part of its collection of contemporary fashion which includes work by some of the most prominent designers of the late 20th century, including Paco Rabanne, Yves Sain
Venue: Museo del Prado.
Until: 16 Jun.
“Spanish Drawings from the British Museum: Renaissance to Goya” presents a selection of great Spanish drawings that have, until now, only been displayed in the British Museum.
Venue: Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza.
Until: 9 Jun.
“Photograph or painting?” is what you’re bound to be asking yourself at the Hiperrealismo 1967-2012 exhibition.
Venue: Museo del Prado.
Until: 16 Jun.
Spanish painter Juan Fernández was known as “El Labrador” and worked in the first half of the 17th century.

Spanish News in English

Freshest Articles

If you’re looking to hit just the right note as the sun begins to shine, Clementyne Chambers selects the best music festivals Spain has to offer

There’s nothing like the promise of an outdoor music festival to make your thoughts drift to lazy days, sipping a cold cerveza, then dancing the night away. Luckily, Spain has some of the best events in Europe, jam-packed with international stars from the music world, as the following guide confirms:

Matt Sachs reports on Habana7: Historias que cuentan (Stories that They Tell), a recent night of conversation, tales and memories provided by some of Spain’s top writers and critics in the music field

More than 300 guests have flocked to Madrid’s Teatro Calderón near Puerta del Sol to listen to the stories, reflections, and thoughts of four of the best known and most influential communicators in the Spanish music business. The atmosphere in the Teatro is both professional and cordial.

The Madrid production of The Lion King has been running for more than 18 months, but how does an actor become involved in such a complex theatrical masterpiece? Richard Lewington talks to Wellington Nascimento Dos Santos—vulture and zebra

Walt Disney’s The Lion King is renowned for being theatre at its most spectacular. Whether an audience is enjoying a production in New York, Tokyo or London, it can carry them to the plains of Africa through its innovative, inspiring set and costume designs, and drawing on the continent’s wonderful rhythms.

Conversation in Spain can be a contact sport. Julia Davis investigates the touch-friendly culture and speaks to extranjeros about why adapting to it is so difficult

In many English-speaking countries, a kiss on the cheek is reserved for that special someone—perhaps a boyfriend or girlfriend, or in a worst case scenario, Great Aunt Bertha. Patting someone on the back requires a certain level of familiarity too, and rubbing a stranger’s arm might even indicate sexual interest.

In these times of Justin Bieber and Gangnam style, Vicky Knill discovers that Chamán, a Madrid-based AC/DC cover band, still offer good, old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll and can also boast a strong connection with the original group

The atmosphere is electric and the sense of anticipation emanating from the crowd is contagious. A drummer and guitarist, both dressed casually in the unofficial rock uniform of denim and t-shirts, enter the stage at Sala Boite, followed a minute later by a dapper-looking man in a suit and tie, complete with waistcoat—the band’s lead singer Mat Van Kriedt.

Ryan Rockmore came to Spain to pursue his passion for Flamenco; having completed his first show in Madrid, De Madrid al sur, he speaks with Laura Tabor about his journey

The performance is in a brick basement, and a cool wine-cellar draft fills the room. On the stage is a man, seated with his guitar, and another, leaning against the wall. The audience, less than 50 people, quiets as a man in a blue shirt and black trousers comes out and addresses them.

Librería Libros Libres has become a well-known stop on the Madrid book-lover’s literary treasure hunt, writes Catriona Spaven-Donn. Ironically, its selling point is that all books are free

Books line the walls from floor to ceiling, divided into sections such as travel, history, philosophy, psychology, education, and politics. There are fiction shelves too, including Spanish, English, French, and German editions, and also a “videotheque” for DVDs, with a bucket for take-home movie sessions, and the rest offered as weekly rentals costing one or two euros.

Erratic spring weather can cause havoc with your plans in Madrid. Irene Berman-Vaporis looks at alternatives for a wet or sunny day

It’s that time of the year again: the time when Mother Nature is a tease. Spring is here, it’s finally warm enough to take off your jacket, but you daren’t go out without an umbrella—which is enough to give anyone a good case of seasonal affective disorder. Madrid, however, can always offer a wet-weather haven or a spring heaven:

Ryan Rockmore came to Spain to pursue his passion for flamenco; having completed his first show in Madrid, De Madrid al sur, he speaks with Laura Tabor about his journey

The performance is in a brick basement, and a cool wine-cellar draft fills the room. On the stage is a man seated with his guitar, and another performer can be seen leaning against the wall. The audience, less than 50 people, hushes as a man in a blue shirt and black trousers comes out and addresses them in Spanish.

The combination of travel and romance in Spain didn't begin with budget airlines. Maritza Mossberg speaks to members of Madrid’s British Ladies Association about love and life in the 1960s and 70s

Love! The word that makes or breaks our hearts. Many of us wouldn’t balk at the idea of finding romance in Spain, especially considering how attractive even the “average-looking” Spaniards are. Nowadays, it’s not unusual to jet off to foreign shores for work, travel or study, but during the 1960s and 70s travelling abroad was far more adventurous.

Mad World

There are many calles in Madrid named in honour of famous people. Jeff Wiseman selects some of the more curious examples, most paying tribute to individuals beyond the borders of Spain:

1. Calle Tintin y Milu—near Alameda de Osuna Metro, Madrid has a street dedicated to cartoon heroes Tintin and Snowy! We await a similar honour for Captain Haddock or the Thomson twins.
Is this a Stark warning for Barca? The new shirt that Rayo will wear for the clash on Sunday, 17 Mar, was presented yesterday at the Rayo Vallecano Sports City Foundation, with the message being “personal triumph and team work”. Club president Martin Dam, and CEO of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Manuel Muro, attended the ceremony.

Forget Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Jeff Wiseman has carefully selected ten “ides” that are not only a danger in March, but throughout the rest of the year too. Beware of the following:

1. Bedside—a view of this frequently means you’ve fallen out of bed. In a worst case scenario, you may find your alarm clock wedged in a very unfortunate place.
If you passed through Plaza Callao last Friday at about 5.30, you might have noticed even more crazy people than usual, writes Vicky Knill. No, they hadn’t forgotten to take their medication. A guy with a box on his head and his psychotic dancing friends were making their very own “Harlem Shake” video. In case you live under a rock, Harlem Shake is a tune by electronic musician Baauer.

Believe it or not, you can avoid expensive gifts on 14 February. After all, it’s not the cost, but what the gift means that really counts. So InMadrid thinks the justification for the following might just work:

1. An empty box of matches. Why empty? Because your flame for your beloved will never stop burning. 2. An old spoon―to signify that your loved one feeds your desires. 3. A pen that doesn’t work―because no written words can truly express your love. 4. A non-biodegradable plastic bag―to illustrate that your love will last forever.

Two albums placed on facebook today (11 Feb)

Check out our facebook page for a great photo album of the official Madrid Carnival Parade, plus a second of the general public dressed to impress – Iron Man, Thor, Gandalf and others! See https://www.facebook.com/InMadrid.magazine Or search under “InMadrid Your city in English”.

The skeleton of King Richard III has been discovered in the UK, under a car park in Leicester. InMadrid feels this raises a number of questions:

1. Are the archaeologists still searching for his car? 2. If they find his car park ticket with the bones, it would have expired more than 500 years ago. Who pays? 3. Despite severe wounds to his skull and body, could it have been that he just didn´t have the right change to pay the exit charge?

With almost everybody enjoying a carnival in February, this traditional and famous madrileña shop is a great option for a wonderful selection of fancy dress costumes, writes Camino Martinez

Menkes was inaugurated in Madrid in 1950, initially as a modest establishment that only sold typical regional costumes from all around Spain, including of course the famous flamenco dresses. Since then, it has become one of the most famous fancy dress shops in the city and was visited by Hollywood stars such as Vivien Leigh and Ava Gardner during the fifties.

InMadrid captures the performers adding fun to the city’s chaotic calles

If music be the food of love, play on! Could there be a better candidate for this month’s street artist than this serene, beautiful puppet, whose soulful strings have attracted two stray cats, one of which is so relaxed by her music that he’s dozed off?

Valentine’s Day is upon us and for many the question is “What can I get that will adequately express my love?”, or possibly “What the hell am I going to buy so that my partner won’t throw me out of the house?” Vicky Knill suggests that the following responses to your gift may result in a boot more than a hug:

1. A CD! But… the Berlusconi Love Songs album???2. A Venus Fly Trap is not a substitute for roses!3. Anti-ageing cream??4. A saucepan? Yes, I love it, because if I raise it like this…5. I don’t care if you’ve lined up the mushrooms in the shape of a heart, it’s still a pizza!!!

Videos

Articles with video

On the eve of their trip to one of the world’s most important music festivals, SXSW in Texas, Nick Haughton chats with Garrett Wall, founding member of Madrid-based Track Dogs, about the road travelled, the path ahead and the recent, exciting turn of events

A quick profile and video spot of Madrid-based avant garde traditional Irish fiddle player, composer and musicologist, Eoghan Neff

Work Offers and Resources

Looking for a job in Madrid? Our work offers and resources section can help you find work in the city. Here you will find all the latest jobs for English speakers in Madrid, regularly updated. Click on any of the work offer links below for a full description of the post in question and a link to upload your cv and cover letter and send it to the employer.

Freelance salespeople required by independent magazine with exciting new mixed-media products to sell. There is a commission-only trial period (20%) and if you are successful you will be offered a permanent contract.

Teachers required: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese. Only Native Teachers. Minimum requirement: 5 years experience. Area: Madrid and Alcalá de Henares. Send us your CV using the contact button below, or call 91 590 39 17. Web: http://www.englishjet.com

Positions available for telemarketing / telephone assistants role in high energy office.

Basic salary PLUS bonus scheme.

Looking for extra pay on the weekends and love working with children?

Come join our dynamic, teaching team!

Spend this July teaching English, dance, drama, music, or coaching basketball or tennis to 4-17 year olds at one of our residential or day camps in unique settings throughout Spain
Enthusiastic applicants please visit: www.forenex.com/teachers-zone

BABELlA FORMACION IS LOOKING FOR PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS OR NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS TO GIVE IN COMPANY ENGLISH CLASSES TO STUDENTS IN BUSINESS.

 

WE OFFER:

We would be happy to supply you with more detailed information and an application form.
Tutor 25, 28008 Madrid
00 34 915 593 129/ 00 34 915 488 284
www.es-onetoone.com

Scene

This year marks the 30th anniversary of El Festival de Otoño a Primavera and to commemorate the Festival has extended its season, which has been running since February. However, May is the month that holds the majority of the shows, with different international productions in theatres across the city. London theatre company, 1927, will perform their new play The Animals and Children Took to the Streets, described as a fusion of different artistic styles, citing silent cinema and graphic novels as part of its unconventional repertoire, in English with Spanish subtitles (see also our Theatre previews, page 10). There’s also contemporary flamenco with Afectos by the Compañía Rocío Molina, andThe Old Lady and the Beast, a French/German co-production by Theater Meschugge/Ilka Schönbein.

Festival de Otoño a Primavera, various locations, 1 May-9 Jun.

If you love design and architecture, look no further than Casa Décor, the largest exhibition of interior design and architecture in Europe. Open to the public, the show features the latest trends and innovations in the field—which attracted 35,000 design enthusiasts to Madrid last year. Showcasing interior design’s biggest names and the newest designers, Casa Décor displays different companies’ products together in a single space while supporting trends related to efficient uses of energy and materials. The exhibition is often used for companies’ product launches and as a promotion for their brand awareness, and is housed in the former location of the British Embassy.

Casa Décor, Calle Fernando El Santo, 16 (Metro: Alonso Martínez). 11am-9pm, 17 May-23 June.

This year sees the 12th edition of the ImagineIndia International Film Festival, which takes place in three locations: Filmoteca Española, Cineteca El Matadero and Intermediae El Matadero, together showing a total of 51 films. Nine films are in competition to win the “Golden Chakra” prize, and those being screened at the Filmoteca will be presented by Spanish artists such as Verónica Echegui, Angela Molina, Chema Rodríguez, and Gran Wyoming. In addition, the programme includes short films, documentaries, films focusing on gypsies and a look at the work of Studio HS founders Walter Heynowski and Gerhard Sheumann.

ImagineIndia International Film Festival, Tues, 17-31 May.

The 5th annual Festival de Improvisación Teatral (FESTIM013—Improvisational Theatre Festival) includes talented theatre companies from the US, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. There will be various workshops, including a class by great teachers like Canadian Frank Tonino. Theatre goers from all backgrounds are sure to be delighted by the performances of such an eclectic mix of some of the best improvisational groups from across the world, the newest edition being ImprovBoston. With audience suggestions dictating what happens on stage, it’s a unique festival that offers the chance to become involved in improvisation theatre.

Festival de Improvisación Teatral (FESTIMO13), Teatros del Canal de Madrid, C/Cea Bermúdez, 1 (Metro: Canal), Tel: 91 308 99 99. Tues-Sun, 28 May-2 Jun.

Cosmopolitan Shopping Week launches its third annual promotional event at Plaza Callao from Wed, 29 May. There will be a plethora of activities, workshops, and promotional games and prizes for the public, such as 50% off different items at participating stores in and around Callao, Gran Vía and Fuencarral. During the five-day event, attendees can take advantage of stylists, music artists, and live music in Plaza Callao.

Cosmopolitan Shopping Week. Plaza de Callao (Metro: Callao). Wed-Sun, 29 May-2 Jun.

The 60s: psychedelics, radicals, peace, love, war and sex. This was an experimental time for the United States. Political turmoil filled the air, new types of music coursed through record players and life was constantly changing. “America in the 60s was a very turbulent time,” says Lawrence Schiller, a famed photographer of the era. “America had a ‘holier than thou’ attitude at the beginning [of the decade].”

            Schiller is known for his photos of the famous—people such as Robert Kennedy, Barbara Streisand, Robert Redford, Paul Newman, and, of course, Marilyn Monroe. An exhibition of his work can currently be found at Madrid’s Mondo Gallery, with Monroe capturing the limelight. He took portraits of her on two occasions—the first when she was 23 years old during the production of her 1960 movie Let’s Make Love, and then again two years later, during her work on Something’s Got to Give.

             “Marilyn was the first female actress I got to have a dialogue with,” he mentions with a smile, and adds that his interchanges with her were never dull. He recalls telling her, ‘You’re already famous, so you’ll make me famous if you take your clothes off’. Her response was blunt: ‘Don’t be so cocky or I’ll have to fire you!’

            It was during the famous pool scene in the filming of Something’s Got to Give when he took naked shots of her. No one expected it, but suddenly she removed the bikini that she was wearing. According to Schiller, “Marilyn, even when fully clothed, was a dream for a photographer. Without her clothes, even more so.” He remembers that night—the way her eyes shone, and her skin glistened.

            Although he had many conversations with Monroe, Schiller feels he never truly got to know her. “I don’t think you have a personal relationship with someone like Marilyn Monroe,” he smiles. She was elusive and very much a mystery woman. In Schiller’s opinion, few people knew her well.

            However, his photography gave him a different perspective. “My camera was like a sponge,” he says, describing the way he soaked up as much of her as he possibly could. He would ask himself, “How do I find the moment that I haven’t seen in person?” and his art would take form, although despite this approach, he never considered himself an ‘artist’. He clarifies by saying, “I was recording history. History is what’s made my pictures important.”

            To Schiller, Monroe was history. She represented cinema, and part of the United States entertainment business that was so prevalent during the 1960s. Through her charm and beauty, she significantly made her mark on US pop culture. In fact, Schiller was one of the last people to see her alive—he visited her home on the morning of the day she died, in order to for her to approve some photos. Due to Monroe’s wild success, Schiller competed with thousands of photographers to capture unique photos of this legend, a selection of which can now be seen in Madrid for the first time.

MondoGalería, C/San Lucas, 9 (Metro: Chueca). Tues-Fri, 11am-2pm, 5-8.30pm; Sat, 11am-2pm.Tel: 91 308 2325. Free. 8 May-15 Jul.

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