Risa Caníbal / Riure Caníbal

About the show

Risa caníbal / Riure caníbal is a piece that lies somewhere between tragicomedy, psychological horror thriller and political satire. The action takes place in the waiting room of a convention for far-right European leaders. There, the characters become trapped for reasons that defy all logic. Humour itself, like an enraged god or an avenging angel, drives the action, orchestrating the gradual degradation of the characters, pushing them into absurdity, to the point of hysteria, and ultimately, to their own destruction.

Note from the writers and directors

There is no doubt that we are witnessing a reactionary surge across Europe and the global North. Ultraconservative, racist, Islamophobic, misogynist and techno-feudalist rhetoric is becoming normalised, flooding the media, social networks and parliaments. In response to this, Las Huecas believe that theatre must act as a tool of cultural resistance. It is on stage that we denounce an intolerable appropriation of our craft: the far right has taken up spectacle, post-humour and fiction as tools of communication and persuasion to advance its agenda and dominate political discourse. And so we, as comedians, respond with an act of defiance, reclaiming humour as an anti-fascist, anti-dogmatic weapon. To do this, we use a form of estranged theatricality that emphasises visual power and the interplay between comedic conventions and the tropes of psychological horror. We call this direct metaclown, a comic practice rooted in fragmented masks, degraded parody, grotesque bodies and surreal caricature.

Las Huecas