“It is an undervalued and often invisible sector.” This is how the playwrights of Catalonia feel within the theatrical sector. During the pandemic they found that no one directly defended their rights when requesting aid from the Generalitat and therefore decided to find a solution.
As a result of those contacts between authors, "a sector that each one works in isolation, where there is little communication between authors", the Catalan Association of Dramaturgy (ACD) was born, which today has been presented in society at the Ateneu Barcelonès. Anna Maria Ricart is the president and Cristina Clemente, the vice president, and they already have 75 affiliates, an initial number that they consider very good.
"The association will fight to make dramaturgy in Catalonia a more respected job," says Ricart, about a sector where 81% do not live from this alone. "It's not just an economic issue, it's also a dignity issue."
In the presentation, the president, accompanied by the treasurer, Jan Vilanova, and the member Helena Tornero, referred to some of the things that harm them, such as the fact that a Chekhov no longer pays copyright, "but copyright is charged , usually the director, for having touched a couple of commas”.
“When they commission you, they don't pay you and they tell you that you will collect copyright. But you have to distribute 10% among the other creators of the show”, they continue. For this reason, they plan to "establish a minimum" for the playwright, they plan to make a manual of good practices and a protocol for cases of harassment.
"Our work is solitary, and hence the ACD logo is a cat on the computer keyboard or on a stage, because the cat is a solitary animal," Vilanova concludes.
