bed of a hospital. When he exhales his last breath, we see that he is Gonzalo, the First Man. Gonzalo, the inspiration behind the Theatre under the Sand, ends up being a victim of the audience's fury. Fifth Scene | The Magician Back in his office, the Director faces a MAGICIAN, an expert in trickery and swapping, whose falseness is rejected by the Director who says: “But that’s a lie, that’s theatre!”. The Director has assumed his love for Gonzalo, and has discovered that “To sleep is to sow seed”. Gonzalo's mother appears to demand the body of her dead son. The play closes with a melancholic rain of empty gloves. Reception The opera El Público was premiered at the Teatro Real in Madrid on February 24, 2015, and had 8 performances, with the last performance taking place on February 13. King Don Felipe and Queen Doña Letizia attended this last representation, being this the first time they visited Teatro Real as Royals. The event was echoed by the national press, as it appears in the newspaper El Mundo (Spain) Los Reyes Felipe y Letizia acuden por primera vez a la ópera en el Real, as well as by the international press, as reflected for example by the magazine Paris Match . The premiere of El Público was reviewed by numerous international media, as well as by specialized critics. The eight performances hosted, according to data from the Theater, a total of 11,697 spectators with an average of 88% occupation, which can be described as a success for a production of a contemporary opera. The journalist Rubén Amón reviewed "The audience acclaims " The Public "(...) Sotelo, acclaimed as a composer of our time» The audience acclaims "The Public" References https://www.teatroreal.es/en/show/publico External links Mauricio Sotelo Official web site Teatro Real official web site Spanish-language operas 2015 operas Operas Operas based on plays