the scene of Santa Cruz Carnival It is a key piece for carnival-goers, since it temporarily turns the Fairground into the temple of Don Carnal, being the space in which the usual galas and contests of the festival take place, which begin the most popular festival in Canary Islands.
This year, after learning of the administrative setbacks caused by the assembly of the scenery that delayed the beginning of the process until January 15, concern has been aroused among the groups, who have feared that it would not be finished in time for the first phase of children’s murgas, which will take place on the 26th and which represents the first contact with the carnival dedicated to New York.
Since Parties it is ensured that the structure will be ready in time and form after having overcome the administrative setbacks and Carlos Santos, designer of the set, declares to this newspaper, focusing on the design part that everything is going correctly: “There have been modifications, but it is it maintains the idea of the stage”, clarifying that it is something that “happens in any project” and reassuring the partygoers.
The author of the design, who at the time of the phone call was supervising the work of the professionals who are assembling the set, affirms that he is “Very happy, very grateful to be here again, in Tenerife”.
Carlos, an architect from Gran Canaria specialized in Scenography, Costumes and Lighting for Theatre, Cinema and Television and in charge of designing the party’s set for the second consecutive year, confessed in the conversation that bringing New York to Santa Cruz has been a challenge, since it involves “Put the magnitude of Manhattan into the Fairgrounds.”
Even so, he hopes that his work will surprise people who attend contests and galas because “The approach is different: visual style, another approach to space”, to which he adds that the theme is also different and that it is the result of a process that began “after finishing the carnival last year.”
When asked about the main novelties that his design presents, the set designer, without wanting to reveal too much to maintain the illusion of who will see the set for the first time on the 26th, anticipates that the viewer will find the same arrangement, but with a configuration of the structure “in the form of a V, which allows greater visibility of the stage itself”.
Beyond this technical characteristic, which the public will notice, Carlos Santos adds that there will be screens integrated into the scenery itself that will play an important role in the set itself, to end by explaining that “they are not simply production or background screens, rather they are integrated as scenographic pieces”.
The extensive experience of the designer, as well as his speed in answering questions, allows me to say, being generous, that the most characteristic elements of the design will be the great skyscrapers of New York, but that there are other elements, among which are a staircase central “that we are not going to advance ahead of the gala”.
