From March 24 to April 4, the Parrita Technical High School in Puntarenas is serving as the venue for the “Once Upon a Time… Territory” program in its first 2025 season.

• More than 7,000 students will enjoy the play “One Thousand and One Nights”
• The season includes 20 performances scheduled for morning, afternoon, and evening

San José, March 26, 2025. From March 24 to April 4, the Parrita Technical High School in Puntarenas is serving as the venue for the “Once Upon a Time… Territory” program in its first 2025 season.

This time, the play “One Thousand and One Nights” premiered under the direction of Ana María Moreno, offering a total of 20 performances for student audiences, scheduled across morning, afternoon, and evening times; and three body expression and movement workshops led by the cast. The goal is to reach more than seven thousand students.

Jorge Rodríguez Vives, Minister of Culture and Youth, stated: “Bringing the arts to the people, in any part of the national territory, is the mission we have at the Ministry of Culture and Youth. That’s why we are thrilled to launch the ‘Once Upon a Time… Territory’ program in the canton of Parrita, where hundreds of primary and secondary school students will be able to experience the magic of theater through the play One Thousand and One Nights. Later in the year, we will also visit San Ramón and La Cruz with this same production. This effort stems from the joint will of the MCJ and the Ministry of Public Education to complement classroom education with playful activities that strengthen our students’ knowledge.”

The community will also be able to enjoy the play. On Saturday, March 29, at 3 p.m., an open performance will be held at the Parrita Technical High School. Attendance is limited, and tickets must be requested at the Regional Education Directorate of the area.

Guillermo Madriz, General Director of the National Theater, commented on the season’s launch: “The beginning of the ‘Once Upon a Time’ program in Parrita, in 2025, marks an important step toward democratizing access to culture and promoting reading and theater as tools for personal and community growth, especially as this year marks the program’s tenth anniversary. The literary plays program Once Upon a Time, developed by the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) and the Ministry of Culture and Youth (MCJ), in collaboration with the National Theater of Costa Rica, represents a valuable tool to bring literature, theater, and culture closer to Costa Rican children and youth. However, taking this program outside the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) and extending it to regions like Parrita carries special relevance and multiple benefits.”

Meanwhile, Guiselle Alpízar Elizondo, Academic Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education, said: “This program is a powerful tool to provide students with a comprehensive and quality education. Theater not only entertains—it also educates, inspires, and transforms. Through the stories portrayed on stage, students can learn about values, emotions, history, and culture.”

“One Thousand and One Nights.” This show is directed by Ana María Moreno from EXáNIMA. It is a stage production presenting a free adaptation of three well-known tales: “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp,” and “Hassan of Basra.”

It is a performance that seeks to interweave the magic and exoticism inspired by the East with the story of Scheherazade, a woman who, through her intelligence and courage, manages to end the violence endured by the women of her land.

These stories are part of a compilation and adaptation of Middle Eastern, Indian, and Asian tales by Frenchman Antoine Galland, who introduced them to the Western world through their publication in 1704 under the title “The Thousand and One Nights.”

In this book, a heartbroken sultan becomes a killer, and the brave young Scheherazade cleverly deceives him and, through her storytelling, changes his heart.

With this play, the National Theater reflects on women’s empowerment in society.

The Once Upon a Time program began in 2016 and was created through Executive Agreement No. 40717 Agreement 006-2016-TN-MEP between the Ministry of Culture and Youth, through the National Theater of Costa Rica, and the Ministry of Public Education. Since its creation, it has impacted 211,231 students from different regions of the country, successfully consolidating an artistic program under the concept of comprehensive education for life.