Xàbia’s Living Chess will be making a special performance in Valencia

The ESCACS VIVENTS DE XÀBIA – the Living Chess – is a Fiesta of National Tourist Interest which is performed every summer, playing out a classic chess game using young people as the pieces whilst telling a special story. It has travelled beyond the borders of the municipality several times – Thiviers in France in 2006, Vitoria and Linares in Spain in 2007 and 2009 respectively. Now it will be travelling once again to replay its last performance in Valencia on Saturday 18th May.

(A)MAR, a dramatic environmental work set in the underwater depths of the coast of Xàbia, will be performed in a privileged environment and very much in tune with the history of the twenty-fifth edition – the Auditorio Mar Rojo of the Oceanographic Centre which has a capacity for nearly 500 people. This work is part of the OceanFest, a fun-educational festival for the whole family promoted by the Fundació Oceanogràfic between May 13th and 19th which will spread the word about the importance of preserving the sea through art, music and workshops of all kinds.

The 32 boys and girls who play the white and black sides will travel to Valencia along with the musicians from the Symphonic Orchestra of the Centre Artístic Musical de Xàbia (CAM) who will once again perform the soundtrack of the game live and the dancers from the Endanza Jávea academy, national champions and representatives of Spain in the European Championship with their original choreographies.

Along with them will be a large group of members of the organising committee of the Mare de Déu de Loreto who will be in charge of coordinating the ambitious staging and all the preparations so that the performance is a success and the families of the small actors and actresses. Xàbia Council will facilitate the transportation of all participants.

In the July 2023 edition, Francisco Torner, marine biologist and director of management control at the Oceanogràfic of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias was the guest of honour in charge of reading the moves of the white pieces. At the end of the performance, Torner praised the creative way of transferring such a rich story to the chess board and the great work done by each of the participating boys and girls. He also expressed his desire to be able to share the message of (A)MAR at the Oceanogràfic. Now, the request has materialized in this exciting representation that the organising committee has been preparing for months and adapting to the characteristics of the auditorium without detracting from the originality of the story carried out in Xàbia.

In this way, the organising committee will once again represent its epic and critical defence of the marine environment as one of the most precious, valuable – and at the same time most threatened – ecosystems on the planet. A staging that the committee values as a unique opportunity to continue dignifying and exalting this particular theatrical modality, pioneering and created in Xàbia, which combines culture, childhood and youth, sports and education.

The readers of the plays of each side are a fundamental element in the Living Chess event. The Oceanogràfic will once again direct the attack of one of the sides, while the movements of the other will have a unique player: Marina García, Fallera Mayor Infantil de València 2024, representing the city’s children. In addition, her Court of Honor will be present at the event given the importance and leading weight of boys and girls in the Living Chess of Xàbia. The narration will once again correspond to the renowned dubbing actor Salvador Aldeguer who voices Antonio Banderas and the character Wreck-It Ralph, among others.

The performance will take place at 7.00pm on Saturday 18th May and admission is free. The Oceanogràfic organization has activated a simple online seat reservation system through the platform here. In it, you must first select the number of seats you want and then give the basic contact information (name, surname and email). After registering the request, the user will receive a confirmation email that they must show to access the auditorium.