Xàbia’s Living Chess addresses mental health through adaption of Wizard of Oz

Els Escacs Vivents de Xàbia, the municipality’s only Fiesta of National Tourist Interest, celebrates its 26th edition this Saturday 27th July at 10.30pm by addressing the topic of mental health through an adaptation of the story of the Wizard of Oz.

Titled “Nido de Pajar Oz”, the Living Chess take the basis of the original 1939 film and merges it with the book written by L Frank Baum in 1900 to create a story that, in the words of the director of the event, Raquel Violero, is an excuse to talk about mental health.

During the press presentation, she explained that people’s minds are birds’ nests. “We all have birds in our heads and that is what happens with mental health, we have many birds that are making a noise that we don’t know how to control”, adding that, through this year’s edition, they will try to offer the tools that can be used by both youngsters and society in general to identify the problem of mental health.

The protagonist of the Wizard of Oz is Dorothy who faces a story of mirrors and reflections and the director suggested that this is what happens with today’s society. “We receive superficial images through social networks that express very reduced visions of reality,” she said, adding that some social networks that have a special affection for boys and girls who idolize influencers.

The show will have 34 participants, of which 32 are the pieces and another two will be external characters, in addition to the guest of honour, Alicia Ripoll, representing the Labour Integration Workshop for the Mentally Ill (TAPIS) of Xàbia. Ripoll will be in charge of moving the white pieces, while Jeroni Mulet Salvá, champion of the Fogueres Chess tournament, will be responsible for moving the black pieces. The narrator will be Mariano Landete Mulet, a very special troubadour.

The accompanying music will be provided by the Orchestra of the Center Artístic Musical de Xàbia and the Endanza de Xàbia dance school will be providing the choreographed acts. In total the event will feature about 100 people.

The base game of the representation will be that of Morphy and NN played in 1850.

During the press presentation, Alicia Ripoll (TAPIS) expressed her gratitude for participating in the living chess event and for the opportunity to talk about mental health “because if there is information, knowledge and understanding, only as people and as a society can we deal with mental health.”

The president of the Loreto Mare de Déu Festes Organising Commission, Vicent Gavilá, thanked the effort and work of all the volunteers who make the Escacs Vivents de Xàbia possible, an event that was created by Rafael Andarias and which Raquel Violera has taken on in recent editions “with a lot of enthusiasm”. Together with the entire Commission team, everyone contributes to “make this happen every year.”

In addition, he pointed out that this year, the organising commission will charge an admission donation of 1 euro to the public to enter the special arena which will be erected on Avenida Lepanto, a charge that will be accompanied by a small surprise that he did not want to reveal.

The councillor responsible for Culture, Mavi Pérez, valued this voluntary work because “no matter how much money or interest there is on the part of the local council, if there are not people who dedicate themselves to this event, with sacrifice and enthusiasm, things will not work out.” Pérez assured that the government team’s intention is to “further enhance the Escacs Vivents de Xàbia.”

Mayor Rosa Cardona underlined the theme chosen this year, stating that “you address a problem such as mental health, and at the end we will be left with the message of a clear light in a dark problem such as mental health”. Like Pérez, she insisted that the local government will work together with the organising commission “so that the only Fiesta of National Tourist Interest in Xàbia is seen and heard much more.”