María Velasco's 'Ese ruido es un animal' explores rave as disobedience in Madrid

María Velasco, winner of the National Prize for Dramatic Literature, has premiered a new show with the Cuarta Pared company in Madrid. Titled 'Ese ruido es un animal', the project seeks a meeting between Velasco's experimental theater and the alternative venue's approach. Thematically, it tackles rave culture and disobedience, set against a pandemic confinement scenario. However, the production fails to fully exploit its potential, as Velasco's universe—rooted in 1990s Spanish experimental scene—clashes with Cuarta Pared's more textual, representative, and realistic style. The result is a mismatch that leaves the attractive premise underexplored. The show runs at Tinieblas, a montage room where fog enables discovery.