Manuel Galiana

I had already seen his wonderful performance of Pacífico Pérez, in "Las guerras de nuestros antepasados" ("The War of Our Ancestors"), and knew that I was about to interview a five star artist. Strangely enough wet met at one star hotel. So, a good start.
The play he presents in Grec Summer Festival '02, from Miguel Delibes had already been in Barcelona in '90/1, but then with other actors.
Spanish National Prize of Theatre winner in ‘98, Manuel Galiana is a calm, discreet and lucid person. He has clear ideas, what greatly helps my task. And he discusses his view points with a remarkable solidity. He knows about what he talks: theatre, television and cinema. He is worried with the future of culture in Spain and doesn’t seem too optimistic. However, he notes that everything depends from the attitude of those in command.

You are in Barcelona for the Grec Summer Festival. Tell us about the play on stage.
This is a project that encompasses two other comedies, also of Miguel Delibes, with the intention of recovering his three works for the theatre. Delibes is a man who never intentionally wrote for either the theatre or cinema, but his work have always something had that has tempted other script writers to adapt for these two genres. In this case, it's a trilogy: "Cinco horas con Mario" ("Five Hours with Mario"), "Las guerras de nuestros antepasados" ("The War of Our Ancestors"), and a third one called "La Hoja Roja" ("The Red Leaf"), the latter to open around next January.

And the present one, the one you're acting in?
"Las guerras de nuestros antepasados" ("The War of Our Ancestors") is a wonderful work; it’s a marvellous text, which draws our attention to the importance of the environment and the raising of the individual and the circumstances that may lead him to one or another direction. In this particular case, it’s about characters drawn from Castille, the story of a country man, who is born hypersensitive in perfect communion with Nature, in a rural background, and under the influence of his relative’s ends up by becoming a cold murderer.

It is however a timeless work, and not exclusively Castilian.
Indeed. It is a universal work. Every individual is subjected to the pressure of the environment, and that very much depends on our trajectory as human beings.

Pacífico Pérez… I imagine it was not easy for you to play that part.
It's a very difficult character. It is one of the great roles that one actor may want to interpret. It is difficult because there are many traits of Pacífico that we usually not experience. That's also very tempting for an actor's work, to be able to dive into that so complex psychology, so peculiar of the character. Furthermore it is a personage that demands all qualities from an actor to the maximum: Memory, comprehension and will, have to be present from beginning to end, without a moment of rest. From the moment he shows up on stage until the end of the show, there is a very strong tension, that needs the dedication of the two actors so that the right atmosphere may be created in order for the public to be suspended in the dialogue between Pacífico and the doctor Bargueño López in the penitentiary where Pacífico is serving his time. The dialogue is essential for the public to understand his real self.

Difficult…
It is difficult, but it also gives a splendid opportunity for the two actors to achieve the right climate that this work demands.

There was a last minute change, when the other actor was replaced. Did that originate problems?
None whatsoever, in part because he is a very experienced actor. Nothing special was required. A little frightening perhaps because it was like "Hey, can you come over tomorrow", and well, fortunately he did us the favour to join right away. We started to rehearse and there’s the: Wonderful.

Tell us how the actors manage to get away from the characters knowing that they have to rehearse every day, during months.
If the actors were touched by every personage we would all be in an asylum... One has to know how to free himself once it is over. It takes a bit, but once it finishes you must be ready for the next.

And in the particular case of the present play?
In this one, it is a character that marks you very much. There are others that do not influence us so much, but in this case, you have to draw much into Pacífico´s skin to become him. You live all the emotions that this character experiences.

You have many parts. Which one impressed you most?
There are several that have important points for me. If we depart from the most recent to the first, it’s impossible not to be pleased to have played Cyrano, a part that I played during two seasons in the Teatro Español, in Madrid. With Shakespeare I debuted, with Alejandro Casona, who opened up the doors of the theatre for me. I was fortunate and ran the risk of beginning as the main actor.

With your collaboration in Cuéntame ("Tell me") you go back to the 60's, exactly the time when you began in the Spanish TV Theatre.
How do you see the evolution of the two media after over thirty years of work?
Television has changed radically. The present TV has nothing to do with the one of that era. This a TV which I don't know whether it is better or worse. In some instances, much worse. Rather worse than the one done before, in other cases, much more dynamic.

What do you mean?
I think that the levels as far the dramatic spaces are concerned have towered in quality. Now, fortunately, new series have appeared where actors are featured again, and that is an improvement. At a certain moment TV denied Spanish programmes because they thought the audiences wouldn’t like. Then a series was made and they realised that the viewers demanded that product and new series were begun.

And the Theatre for television?
I've read somewhere that the Spanish TV wants to recover that slot. It was a feature that was sought after by audiences. Quite often it is not mentioned but it looks like it's going to be retaken. Anyway if that space is not broadcasted on the right day and at the right time, there won't be good ratings on account of the competition. It must attract the audience’s attention.
Going back to the theatre, there has been a great change.
All of a sudden there appeared groups all over the country that perform everywhere. I think that there are too many groups, what is good because it marks the development, but there is no audience for so many.

And in what regards quality?
And the quality, of course. With little resources it is difficult of maintaining theatre with its own means. It will always need assistance. As the state backing is scarce, when it is shared among several, little will remain and better things cannot be made. I think that it would be convenient that there should be a better selection.

On the other hand, the "tournées" that were usual, have disappeared and now there are on the road performances just once a week or at weekends. It has changed a lot in that aspect. New actors have appeared, others have disappeared but theatre will always remain the same.
How would you evaluate the present Spanish cultural panorama?
We have been gradually creating a consumer society, where what counts is purchasing things and owning things, but not the mind, not the esthetical pleasure and nevertheless we have magnificent museums, books, concerts and theatrical shows. There are moments when society turns away from that because of the influence of TV and other media is very strong and dedicates little time to culture, and that is a pity, because our society ends up not savouring one of the most interesting manifestations of the human mind, which is the art, be it architecture, theatre, music or dance.

And the cinema?
Our movies are being buried by the avalanche of North American productions.

But Spanish is increasingly more important, particularly in USA. When can that be taken advantage of?
This is a thing that has not been explored, regrettably. Indeed the strength of the Spanish language is huge. We are 400 million of speakers and that would demand our production to be higher. Production depends on the collaboration of TV's and other entities, without which nothing can be accomplished.

What can politicians do in this aspect?
I don't know what they can do. I know that if is not done. There are funds for the screen projects and it is rumoured they are going to vanish. If that is so, I don’t know how cinema can be made. With the enormous publicity verbs and its profitability the American cinema forces the exhibition to show preferably its products. The exhibitors exist not because they like movies, but because they want to make money with them. That’s distinct.
On the other hand we cannot forget that we are European, we are a community. First, the national cinema, then the European and the American movies that are worthwhile. Not all.
Every single peculiar cultural phenomenon should be strengthened, that would be a priority, however, the management of culture is shared among the distinct autonomous Communities. It depends from whom is responsible for the theatre in each community, that the theatre should or shouldn’t be shown there.

Does that seem positive or negative to you?
We have decentralised the theatre, something that we had always fought for and a net of wonderful theatres appeared. But there are bad things; those theatres have to be filled with content, of shows that are interesting. For instance this play ("Las guerras de nuestros antepasados" – The Wars of Our Ancestors), of very first quality, if it is not shown all over the country, that will be awful. And then, there will always be problems when electing the programming criteria of each of the communities. Usually two local groups will be engaged and one or two of the companies that work throughout the national territory, and nothing else.


Ricardo Nuno ::
Monday, June 22nd of '02