New Play Explores Life and Resistance of Gran Canarian Icon 'El Corredera'

Historical memory in the Canary Islands is back in the spotlight with the release of a new play about Juan García Suárez, famously known as "El Corredera." The Tamaimos Canary Foundation has announced that the Cabildo Bookstore will host the presentation of Corredera. Drama in Twelve Scenes this Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. Written by playwright Miguel Ángel Martínez, the work explores the life of one of Gran Canaria’s most prominent figures of resistance against the Franco regime.

The play uses theater to bring a difficult period of island history—marked by political persecution and social division—to life. Rather than simply recounting a biography, Martínez uses twelve scenes to introduce a wide range of characters who help illustrate the complexity of the era. These include his family and the mountain residents who helped him hide, as well as institutional and religious figures like Bishop Pildain, lawyer Calzada Fiol, and the Falangist Trujillo.

By using theater to examine the repression and hostility of the postwar years, the play highlights why García Suárez remains such a powerful figure in the islands' collective memory. After years on the run, supported by a network of local people, his eventual execution cemented his legacy. With this publication, the Tamaimos Canary Foundation aims to shed light on the systems of control and resistance in Gran Canarian society, offering a fresh look at a chapter of history that continues to be studied and discussed today.