"The discomfort of making eye contact with a stranger prevents us from opening the doors to communicate with him. The gaze is the first door to relate to people," says Ferran Orobitg, artist-in-residence at Espai Públic de Ajuts a Creació Carlota Soldevila, which is called by the Teatre Lliure.
His work Opia has the support of the Lliure, the Fundació Carulla and FiraTàrrega, and he will take seats out onto the street, "so that people passing by can sit down and, feeling like they are in a theater, open their eyes and interact."
This year, aid for the creation of the Teatre Lliure reaches its fifth edition, coinciding with the end of the mandate of Juan Carlos Martel and Georgina Oliva. Martel declared that he did not know anything about his continuity with the new direction, in which Julio Manrique will debut this February, and implied that there was little communication in the replacement.
Like Opia, the proposal from Íntims Produccions, which is the resident company, also seeks a family audience. L'anorak is based on The Overcoat by Gogol. Marc Cartanyà explains that, in principle, the story "is not intended for children, but it has been a starting point to make a play for spectators from 7 years old."
Cartanyà adds: "We have grown with other companies doing gigs, and as a company we are not achieving it. Since the prospect for all audiences is more stimulating, let's see if we are lucky and they hire us."
Lucia del Greco, who is the artist in residence, is also committed to youth. Her project, still untitled, is a creation with the 3rd year ESO students of the Institut Públic L'Alzina, in Barcelona. Incipient adolescence, puberty, new friendships, the relationship with their changing bodies... are some of the themes that are worked on.
The resident artist for this edition is Magda Puig Torres. Together with Andreu Martínez, they will premiere the show Thauma, a word that means 'astonishment', at Espai Liure. On stage, a verticalist, a dancer and a video maker and remote control expert.
This "scenic poem" arises from "the spark of wonder that gives birth to the imagination, disorients it and makes you investigate this world that surrounds us," declares Puig. "Andreu Martínez says that we have to imagine, if not, they will imagine for us."
Finally, this year's creative residency exchange program takes place with the National Theater
The exchange occurs with Monte Isla, who premieres A body without talent. Adrià Girona explains: "We consider the relationship between life and art. We are also interested in talking about the precariousness of the body." What they intend is for the show they present at the Grec "to be something that destabilizes us."
With his new team, Julio Manrique takes over the direction of the Teatre Lliure this February. We will have to wait until next week to find out how the aid for creation will continue and to know more details about his time at the head of Barcelona's public theater.
