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| Els Joglars | |
|---|---|
| Name | Els Joglars |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Founder | Josep Maria Flotats |
| Genre | Theatre, satire, physical theatre |
| Location | Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain |
| Notable works | La torna, La torna negra, Teledeum |
Els Joglars Els Joglars are a Catalan theatre company founded in Barcelona in 1961, influential in Spanish and European performing arts. The troupe developed a distinct idiom blending satire, physical comedy, and political critique that engaged audiences across Spain, France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Latin America. Over decades they interacted with cultural institutions, festivals, broadcasters, and censorship agencies while collaborating with directors, actors, playwrights, and designers from the Iberian Peninsula and beyond.
The company's origins trace to Barcelona in the early 1960s amid the cultural milieu shaped by figures like Salvador Dalí, Pau Casals, Joan Miró, Antoni Tàpies, and institutions such as the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Institut del Teatre, the Palau de la Música Catalana, and the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya. Early members trained in methods associated with practitioners like Jacques Lecoq, Jerzy Grotowski, Vsevolod Meyerhold, Bertolt Brecht, and companies such as Comédie-Française and Complicité. During the late Francoist period interactions with the Spanish Transition and events like the 1977 Spanish general election framed their public reception. Tours brought them to festivals including the Avignon Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Venice Biennale, Festival d'Automne à Paris, and collaborations with theaters like the National Theatre (London) and the Théâtre de la Ville. Leadership shifts mirrored broader European trends seen with companies like Teatro Oficina and artists such as Peter Brook and Erté. The troupe adapted to funding models tied to entities like the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Ministerio de Cultura (Spain), the European Commission, and private patrons including foundations comparable to the Fundació Antoni Tàpies.
Their aesthetics combine influences from Commedia dell'arte, Vaudeville, Surrealism, and practitioners such as Samuel Beckett, Eugène Ionesco, Harold Pinter, Dario Fo, and Tadeusz Kantor. Visual design references include artists like Pablo Picasso, Francisco Goya, Joan Miró, and scenographic approaches reminiscent of Adolphe Appia and Gordon Craig. The ensemble deploys physicality akin to Mikhail Bakhtin's carnival theory, textual devices related to Federico García Lorca and Miguel de Cervantes, and musical cues drawing on composers such as Manuel de Falla, Enrique Granados, Isaac Albéniz, and contemporary scoring practices used by groups like La Fura dels Baus. Recurring themes interrogate authority figures evoked alongside references to events like the Spanish Civil War, the World Health Organization public debates, and geopolitical episodes such as the Iraq War, the NATO intervention in Kosovo, and European integration within the European Union framework.
Their repertoire includes landmark shows staged at venues like the Teatre Lliure, the Mercat de les Flors, the Olympia (Paris), and the Teatro Real. Productions engaged with texts and scandals paralleling works titled alongside plays by Bertolt Brecht and Dario Fo; notable pieces were toured during seasons curated by institutions such as the Festival Internacional de Teatro de Almagro, the Salzburg Festival, and the Lincoln Center. Key productions provoked debate similar to controversies around The Last Temptation of Christ (film), The Satanic Verses, and theatrical responses to events like the 1981 Spanish coup d'état attempt and have been studied in relation to dramaturgs such as Peter Brook, Ariane Mnouchkine, and Simon McBurney.
Founders and artistic directors interacted with luminaries comparable to Josep Maria de Sagarra and institutions like the Institut Ramon Llull. Company actors and directors maintained networks with figures such as Lluís Puig, Ferran Aguilar, and collaborators from ensembles like La Cubana, Comediants, and Els Comediants. Designers and composers worked in tandem with professionals linked to the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Palau Sant Jordi, and orchestras akin to the Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra. Leadership transitions reflected patterns observed in companies led by Peter Hall, Richard Eyre, and Peter Stein.
Several productions sparked disputes involving institutions comparable to the Spanish Justice System, the Tribunal Constitucional (Spain), and municipal authorities such as the Ajuntament de Barcelona. Episodes mirrored censorship cases connected to works like Salman Rushdie controversies and disputes over artistic freedom seen in contexts involving the Council of Europe and debates about freedom of expression before bodies such as the European Court of Human Rights. Responses included legal inquiries, police attention similar to interventions during the Francoist dictatorship, and solidarity campaigns organized by organizations analogous to Amnesty International and the International Theatre Institute.
The company received accolades comparable to the Premio Nacional de Teatro (Spain), the Premi d'Honor LletrA, and lifetime recognitions akin to the Gold Medal of Merit in Fine Arts (Spain), with festival prizes from the Avignon Festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and honors parallel to the Princess of Asturias Awards for performing arts. Institutions such as the Generalitat de Catalunya and European cultural programs acknowledged their influence alongside collections in museums like the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona and archives similar to the Biblioteca de Catalunya.
Category:Theatre companies in Catalonia