Director and actor of Els Joglars | San Javier Festival Award
The Catalan theater company Els Joglars is an eminence; practically an institution. An entity with its own personality that has never abandoned its critical philosophy despite the years, 61 to be exact. An enviable track record that the San Javier Theater Festival has recognized by awarding them the award for this 52nd edition, which they will collect in person on August 10 when they perform ‘Let Aristóphanes Come Out!’
How has the company received this recognition from the festival?
-We are very grateful, satisfied and happy that the San Javier Theater Festival gives us this award, especially after it is a place that is practically like our home because we have been acting there for years.
Do you remember your first performance?
-Yes. I remember that we landed at the San Javier Airport and also the Almansa Park, which is a special and unique place with that form of a Roman circus. I don’t remember the show but I do remember the full stands and the close audience. Also the cordiality provided by being surrounded by the public –which is a boost for the performance–. I also remember the heat, now we are used to it, but it was one of those spaces that with the spotlights and the temperature made you sweat, but this is not important. But above all I remember that feeling of being surrounded and surrounded by the public that is always full. The attendance and impact that this festival has is magnificent.
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When
Thursday August 11 22:30 -
where and how much
Almansa Park Auditorium. €18/22 -
interpreters
Ramón Fontserè, Pilar Sáenz, Dolors Tuneu, Xevi Vilà, Alberto Castrillo-Ferrer, Angelo Crotti -
stage direction
Alberto Castrillo-Ferrer -
artistic advisor
Martina Cabanas -
Illumination design
Bernat Jansa -
Costume Design
Pilar Saenz -
sound design
David Angle -
Technical direction
Pere Llacho -
technicians on tour
Pere Llach, Roger Vila and Carlos Atienza -
Scenography
Anna Tusell -
Millinery
Nina Pawlowski -
props
Pere Llach and Gerard Maso -
costume making
Mª Àngels Pladevall, ITA -
Executive production
Montserrat Arcarons -
Distribution
Els Joglars
–How many times have you performed in San Javier?
-Seven or eight times and if we haven’t done them at some point it’s because the type of show was difficult to do outdoors.
Do you have any anecdote in your memory?
–I remember that sometimes the public stood between the stage and the stands there, making a gathering, talking about the play while we collected the props. That of having a gathering is something that was done before. In the 80s and 90s there were still people in front of the theater discussing the move and there were people who were in favor and others who were against it. Now many times when you go out there is no one there because everyone has left. But this does happen in San Javier, I guess it’s because the night is nice.
–In this edition they come with their show ‘Let Aristophanes come out!’, a critical work where they reinterpret this classic. Which is the message?
–We were inspired by Aristophanes because he is a model of freedom in the face of this society that is increasingly full of untouchable taboos. In addition, there is nothing more effective and imaginative than being inspired by reality and one of the things that we like about Aristophanes is that thanks to him we can perfectly understand the trends, customs and practices of the society of Athens in the fourth century. This is one of the highest compliments that can be paid to him, apart from the genius, skill and talent for comedy.
–Are there similarities between Els Joglars and Aristophanes?
–Els Joglars and Albert Boadella have also been able to portray society through history and the years. Each show can be a benchmark of where the shots were going in those times and Aristophanes does that too. But these geniuses are also capable of predicting and predicting things that later happen. I think this show summarizes a bit the current stretch of these years that we are living and this is one of the performances of the theater. This was already said by Shakespeare in ‘Hamlet’ when the comedians arrive at Elsinore Castle and Hamlet tells Apolonio «treat them well so that they don’t lack anything because they are the compendium and brief chronicle of the times».
– How have you faced 60 years of career?
-With a lot of passion, illusion and work. Nothing comes by infused science. One of the differentiating facts, it can be said like this, has been the determination that the time elapsed from the first day of rehearsal to the first day of the premiere, has always been as long as possible so that all this effort of months of concentration, work, play and illusion can be macerated and perfected until the show comes out in a very solid way without leaving any loose ends. The idea is that the dish is served in a well-cooked way like the artisans, that is, with patience, with tenacity, without haste but without pause. I think that these 60 years, we have known how to fight in this way because, despite the fact that we have also had difficult periods, whenever one door has been closed, others have opened. You have to be brave and accept that they come badly given but without stopping doing what this company is ethically and aesthetically. But this obsession with craftsmanship, with a job well done, with time has never been lacking. In art, time is very important, just as things are always done trying to be perfect, which is impossible, but at least trying to be a little similar.
-Before you there were other directors, have you worked with them?
-I have always worked with Albert Boadella who is the founder. If we have come here to San Javier to receive this award, it is thanks to the fact that he founded Els Joglars when he was 18 years old in 1961. He is my teacher and reference point. I have always worked with him magnificently. He was the one who promoted it and he is the one who has somehow known how to bring out what I like, which is to play the theater, and he has made me spend a few years with his wonderful shows. I hope one day to be under his command again.
–How do you run a company like Els Joglars?
-Everything arose because Albert dedicated himself to making some compositions of some lyrical works, he always says that music has learned more from Beethoven than from Shakespeare. So he devoted himself to that and passed the baton to me. I have been director for 10 years, it has been more work and more fronts to face but together with my colleagues, who have known each other for a long time, he has been bearable.
What challenges does a director face?
–The director has to think of everything: costumes, lighting, sound space, interpretation of the characters and I also have to act but I have had fantastic assistant directors and professionals who have nothing to tell them because they already know. The advantage of having many years is that your colleagues from other fields already know your style and trust is absolute.
-Their critical essence has always made it difficult for them to act in Catalonia. Would you like to have more facilities?
-Attacking nationalism has its counterparts, and yes we would like to but if not, we are a small shop. Where we have an audience we open and if not, we go to another place. Some doors close but others open. The last show we did was a satire against Punset that was in Barcelona for two weeks and the audience was fantastic. It was a magnificent experience and everything went very well. They are small steps because here we are and we are not yet defeated or defeated. We keep riding.
Have you noticed any change in this aspect?
–’Señor Ruiseñor’ was a catharsis and people asked us and they said that it was time to deal with this theme of Punset’s delirium in a humorous way. Humor is one thing that comes close to the truth. The theater has to reveal – that’s what Albert said – an unsuspected reality that the public many times due to laziness, fear or complex does not dare to say it and therefore when they see something on the stage that coincides with what they think in an intimate way suffers a catharsis. An outlet is produced, like a hygienic thing. A “luckily there is someone who dares to say what we think but for these circumstances we do not say.” Something that also happens with this last show, the public appreciates that these topics are touched on. It’s in the DNA of comedians to challenge society’s taboos with the utmost ingenuity, beauty, and mischief. This is one of the functions of theater and comedians. Aristophanes already in the fourth century put all these elements on stage and that is why he was so successful, because for the public it was like a relief. It was catharsis. Making you laugh in a civilized way at the problems and taboos of society imposed by the powerful.
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