Rey Planta

Rey Planta

By Manuela Infante

Translated by Alexandra Ripp

Directed by Michael Place

A king unable to move anything but his eyes sits and thinks over the course of a day. His existence on the border of life and death provokes him to explore questions that only such a liminal state can. Based on events that occurred in Nepal in 2001, Chilean theater artist Manuela Infante's Rey Planta, here translated for the first time in English, prompts our own reflections on power – political, personal, and theatrical.

Rey Planta is based on real events that occurred in Nepal in 2001. On June 1, the crown prince Dipendra shot and killed nine members of the royal family before turning the gun on himself. He fell into a coma, but was named king until his death on June 4. His uncle Gyanendra, who had been named regent, then assumed the throne. This article examines the events five days after they occurred, and the day after the prince's death.

Nepalese Royal Massacre Timeline

June 1, 2001: Crown Prince Dipendra drinks too much at a family gathering and is escorted to his room.

8:40 p.m., June 1, 2001: Dipendra descends the stairs with an H&K MP5 and an M16. He shoots himself and nine members of the royal family, including the king and queen. The alleged reason was Dipendra’s longstanding dispute with his mother about his choice of bride. All die but Dipendra, who falls into a coma.

9:42 p.m., June 1, 2001: Dipendra arrives at the hospital. He is named king, and his uncle Gyanendra, younger brother of the murdered king, is named regent. Riots ensue for several days; conspiracy theories flourish.

5:57 p.m., June 4, 2001: Dipendra dies. Gyanendra assumes the crown.

This video is a look of the work of Teatro de Chile, the group Manuela Infante heads up. CRISTO (2007) is the group's fifth work in which they seek to find the "truth" of Christ amidst his myriad representations.

Here is an open rehearsal, recorded on June 24, 2011, of Manuela's recent collaboration with art curator Camila Marambio called "What is He Doing in There?" taken during their residency at the Watermill Center: