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Malay Mail
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Breaking barriers: Peruvian actors with Down syndrome challenge norms with ‘Hamlet' performance in London
LONDON, May 1 — It's one of William Shakespeare's most existential questions, 'To be or not to be?' Now a group of globe-trotting Peruvian actors with Down syndrome are tackling it head-on, breaking down prejudice and barriers. Cristina Leon, Jaime Cruz and Manuel Garcia are members of the eight-strong group that performed Hamlet at London's Barbican centre last week. 'This play shows... there are no barriers, that we can do lots of things, and people must open their eyes to the fact that we can do anything they ask us,' Leon, 32, told AFP. The project was launched seven years ago born out of Cruz's dreams of becoming an actor. He was working as an usher in the Teatro La Plaza in Lima and had never thought that his Down syndrome was an obstacle in life. Octavio Bernaza, a member of the Peruvian company Teatro La Plaza perform during a dress-rehearsal of their production 'Hamlet' at The Barbican Theatre in London, UK on April 24, 2025, ahead of their London premiere. — Reuters pic 'I have always wanted to be an actor. One day there was an event (at the Lima theatre) in which you had to introduce yourself, and I said my name and said I was an actor,' the 30-year-old said. He added that he wanted to overcome 'prejudices, myths and barriers'. His words inspired the theatre's artistic director Chela de Ferrari, who has now adapted the masterpiece for the eight actors and brought it to the land of Shakespeare's birth. 'He really caught my attention, and I thought to myself I really need to have a more in-depth discussion with him,' she told AFP. 'We went to a cafe, and while we were talking I had a vision of him wearing the prince's crown and I thought about the meaning that Jaime could bring to Hamlet's famous words 'To be or not to be',' she said. (From left) Diana Gutierrez, Manuel Garcia, Cristina Leon Barandiaran and Octavio Bernaza, all members of the Peruvian company Teatro La Plaza perform during a dress-rehearsal of their production 'Hamlet' at The Barbican Theatre in London April 24, 2025, ahead of their London premiere. — Reuters pic 'Form of resistance' A casting session was organised and seven other actors were chosen for the group. 'Jaime made me face my own prejudices, my deep ignorance about the reality. I think what the public experiences mirrors exactly what happened to me,' de Ferrari said. Three years ago, the group was invited to visit Spain, and since then they have toured the world. The show had a sold-out run at the Edinburgh International Festival last year, with The Guardian praising the cast's interpretation of the tragedy of the Danish prince as 'upbeat', adding it 'oozes charm, humour and imagination'. 'I don't think it's the only play with actors with Down syndrome, but I don't think other groups have travelled as much,' de Ferrari said. This year, the group of five men and three women will also be performing in Brighton in southern England as well as 35 other towns and cities, including Seoul, Melbourne, Toronto in Canada, and New York and Chicago in the United States. They act in Spanish with surtitles in other languages for local non-Spanish speaking audiences. 'In today's society everyone puts up limits. They tell us all the time that we cannot do things,' said Garcia, 32. 'With what we are seeing in the world, attacks on certain values such as diversity, it's a good moment to present these projects. It's also a form of resistance,' added de Ferrari. 'Instead of rejecting people who have speech problems or stutter, we embrace this diversity,' she said proudly. — AFP
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MUFG and Nomura provide $388m for Greenalia's solar Misae II in Texas
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) and Nomura Securities International have announced a $388m financing package for Greenalia's Misae Solar Park II (Misae II) in the US state of Texas. The package includes a $295m construction-to-term loan and a $93m letter of credit facility. Misae II is Greenalia's first US development, and marks a significant step in renewable energy expansion. The 3,970-acre site in Childress County will be one of Texas's largest solar developments. The project will feature a 430 megawatts direct current /331.6 megawatts alternating current photovoltaic system and is expected to reach commercial operation by the third quarter of 2025. MUFG managing director and project finance lead Louise Pesce stated: "We're thrilled to support Greenalia by leading this complex and successful transaction. "Greenalia's innovation and MUFG's expertise will help the state of Texas increase energy capacity with renewable solar power." MUFG and Nomura acted as co-ordinating lead arrangers and bookrunners, with MUFG also serving as the administrative agent. The project benefits from two ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) West-settled power purchase agreements for 65% of its energy output and renewable energy certificates (RECs). The remaining 35% of energy will be sold in the merchant ERCOT market. Greenalia CEO Manuel Garcia stated: "This transaction is a major step for Greenalia's US expansion. With the help of MUFG and Nomura, we are on track to reach 1GW of operational projects by 2026." Misae II has secured a fixed-price production tax credit transfer agreement and a separate fixed-price agreement for 40% of its RECs. In a related development, Adapture Renewables has secured $321m in financing from MUFG for the construction of the 441MW Titanium solar portfolio in the US. The financing is structured as a construction loan and a tax credit bridge loan. The Titanium portfolio spans three sites in Arkansas and Illinois, expected to power 71,000 homes annually. Construction of the first site, the Cooks Mill project, commenced in September 2024 and will be operational by early 2026. "MUFG and Nomura provide $388m for Greenalia's solar Misae II in Texas" was originally created and published by Power Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
