Agatha Christie’s mystery captivates audiences at IE University’s Aula Magna

The IE University Theater Club, with support from IE Campus Life, selected the legendary Agatha Christie play “And Then There Were None” to perform in the Aula Magna on the Segovia Campus. All proceeds from the tickets will be donated to the Spanish Red Cross and its humanitarian work in Ukraine. The play, which was known for many years in Spain as “Diez negritos” and later changed its title to “Y no quedó ninguno” or “Eran diez,” is one of the top sellers of all time, and one of the English novelist and playwright’s most popular books, with some 100 million copies sold.

Although it is one of Agatha Christie’s best-known works, “And Then There Were None” never ceases to surprise. It is arguably one of the greatest masterpieces of the mystery genre, and every avid lover of thrillers knows the plot (and the ending) inside-out. Ten people are invited by a stranger to enjoy a few days of leisure in a luxurious mansion on the English coast. On the first night, after dinner, a recorded voice, that of “Mr. Owen,” accuses them all of having committed a crime in the past. From that moment on, they are killed one by one without any explanation. Only an old children’s song (“Ten Little Indians,”) both childlike and morbid, seems to hold the key to all the deaths.

The members of the IE Theater Club have had to work very hard to get ready for the play’s premiere. They’ve spent the past several months organizing, finding time in their schedules to prepare thoroughly, memorize the script and rehearse as much as possible whenever classes and study time allowed. From actors to makeup artists, lighting technicians and set builders, around 20 IE University students of different nationalities and from different degree programs have participated. All students worked under the management of IE University Theater Club President, Camila Barandearan, an Ecuadorian student of the Bachelor in Communication and Digital Media. One important motivation for the students was that the money raised from ticket sales will go to the Spanish Red Cross and its humanitarian work with Ukrainian refugees, with IE University Rotaract Club lending a hand as intermediary.

Difficult years

Students acknowledge that the last two years have been really complicated for the Theater Club because of the pandemic. Continual restrictions, social distancing and the use of masks made it very difficult to bring any performances to the stage. In 2021, Theater Club students had to reinvent themselves. They responded to the challenge of the health crisis by producing two films. Last year, with the support of María Bravo from IE Campus Life in Segovia and the renowned Spanish director and editor Pedro Collantes, students were able to produce the documentary “Unfinished” and the short film “Sonder.”

IE Campus Life is aware of the importance of promoting the humanities on campus and strives to maximize the student experience, providing the optimal environment for them to let their creative juices flow and always supporting them in their ongoing effort to stage an annual play. Additionally, IE University always plays its part by offering the IE Theater Club the use of its facilities, as well as campus material and services. “The arts and humanities are among the main pillars of our university, and the work and process of the IE Theater Club members throughout the year has a very positive impact on their critical thinking skills, expression and overall creativity, factors that are fundamental to their personal and professional development,” says María Bravo, IE Campus Life Coordinator.

IE University Theater Club

The theater, organized by IE University students, is characterized by the fact that it brings together young people from all over the world, each with their own ideology, sensibility and culture. The Theater Club is an example of the multiculturalism that exists at Segovia’s Santa Cruz la Real campus, where students of a hundred different nationalities currently come together.

“Memories of the Rose and the Lion” (2018) was the first play that the students brought to the stage, involving more than 30 students of almost 20 different nationalities.  The second play, a musical, was “The Painter” (2019), which included a repertoire of songs composed by IE University’s own students. The play introduced its audience to different art forms such as dance, poetry, painting and video. 2019 brought the play “The Turn of The Century,” which reflected on the change, social trends and values of today’s society. Last year, the documentary “Unfinished” and the short film “Sonder” were added to the Theater Club’s fruitful list of productions. Now, with “And Then There Were None,” the IE Theater Club has come back in full force.

The editorial IE Knowledge, with support from IE Campus Life, has already published several books that capture the experiences of the IE Theater Club over the last few years.