Actors
|
Bios
|
Theatre company
Els Comediants
Comediants is a group of actors, musicians and artists of all disciplines devoted to the world of creation. Although primarily known as a theater group, the troupe’s wide-ranging work has found artistic expression in a large variety of fields. Design, albums, books, festival projects, films, costumes, educational materials and television series are just some of the many ways in which it has given form to its own unique manner of creation, whether through its own voice or the voices of others
Alumni of Barcelona's Escuela de Teatro Independiente Drama School, Els Comediants burst in scene on 19th November 1971 under the banner of transgression. Eschewing traditional theatre in favor of the most avant-garde productions then being performed abroad (Théâtre du Soleil, Bread and Puppet, San Francisco's Teatro Campesino, Odin Teatret...), they engaged in unscripted, undirected shows based on collective experiences. Their aim was to breathe new life into an interdisciplinary, vibrant and vital school of theater, similar to that used by comedians of yore, who filled entire city squares with just a wagon, a story and a thousand and one ingenious ways to tell it.
From the start, Els Comediants have embraced what might be called the festive spirit of human existence. All of their pagan, folk, religious and initiation rituals, ceremonies and creations celebrate the cyclical journey of man on Earth. Their performances and shows thus strive to go beyond the purely theatrical or musical in a quest to reactivate the deep-seated and festive roots that hold us together as a species and bind us to the natural world of which we form a part. In this way, they have developed a work method that knows no limits. Any location will serve as a stage (a street, a square, an entire neighborhood, a river, a meadow, the Segovia Aqueduct, the Olympic Stadium, the Times Square subway station or the Banyoles Reservoir, to name but a few); any object can be used as a prop (from a glass of milk to a bed or a traditional carnival "cabezudo" with its outsized head); and any dramatic language (be it mime, clown, commedia dell'arte or puppetry) will do perfectly to reach out to the hearts and minds of audiences of all ages.
The goal? To offer a "theater of the senses": a theater of colors, scents and textures, but also of provocation. The provocation of optimism in the face of certain present-day realities. The provocation of rediscovering the beauty of day-to-day existence in spite of the inexorable onward march of time. And, finally, the provocation of an unwavering commitment to the present, to opening peoples' eyes and helping them once again see the world as the vast, wonderful home to culture and friendship that it is, the home we must all take care of before it is too late.
Our life as a group is similar to that of our lives as individuals: a voyage of no return through a finite time and space. As we savor life, we drain the glass to half empty, when before it was half full. The key is not to let go of our dreams, to continue to allow fascination and wonder to entrance us, to keep playing blind man's bluff until the very end of the adventure, regardless of our age.
Time is a magician that imposes order on our lives. It allows us to be children, glimpsing an immense future without realising its importance. When we are youths driven by confrontation and radicalisation, it shows us pleasure, energy and love. In adulthood, it fills us with discernment, tells us that everything has a purpose and that there is no use wasting time on the superficial. How fantastic it would be if each stage of our personal and collective existence were the sum, no, the negation, of all other stages, processes and prior learning experiences...
We must remain steadfast in our commitment to progress, to make room for the younger generations and to allowing ourselves to be seduced by the changes time ushers in without relinquishing the authenticity of our sincerest thoughts. What’s wrong with browsing the Web with a bowl of refreshing gazpacho set before you and a glass of wine in your hand?