LA PLAZA
Where does your freedom begin and mine end? La Plaza (the square) is a portrait of the current generation of thirty-somethings. It takes place inside the mind of a spectator who leaves the theatre after a 365–day performance. We follow his mental journey through the city and meet the people and opinions he encounters.
hall Rabozaal
start at 20:00
duration 90 minutes
language Spanish spoken, surtitled in Dutch and English
Dutch première
4 Feb 19:00 warming-up
5 Feb 19:00 warming-up
5 Feb 21:40 after talk
This piece is about our perception of the world and how it relates to other perceptions. The square, the makers say, is where the conversation happens. We’re all free to say what we want. But sometimes we say terrible things. What do we do with this democratic concept of free speech, of ‘everything goes’? For Beyeler and Gisbert, this is the major social question we face. Where does your freedom begin and mine end?
‘The world around me triggers me all the time. The aggressiveness I notice and experience, the constant provocation by others, has a real influence on me. How do we relate to that? It goes beyond what I think, who I am, what I believe in.’
– Tanya Beyeler
Compared to their previous performance, Guerilla, La Plaza is a more subdued portrait of our society, although that does not mean it’s any less topical or relevant. Once again, it is a pleasant introduction to the unconventional and tragicomic style of El Conde de Torrefiel, at the intersection of theatre, performance, choreography, and visual arts. They call it ‘teatro raro’, peculiar theatre.
warming-ups & nagesprekken
(B)randprogramma
4 Feb 19:00 | Warming-up La Plaza | ITA Salon | language: English
We talk with Pilar Tena, director of the Instituto Cervantes (Utrecht) about the Art climate in Spain and The Netherlands.
5 Feb 19:00 | Warming-up La Plaza | ITA Salon | language: Dutch
Samen met Spanje-kenner Lex Rietman bespreken we het kunstklimaat in Barcelona, de plek die het collectief El Conde de Torrefiel als thuisbasis heeft. Lex Rietman is freelance Spanje-correspondent en werkt onder andere voor Het Financieele Dagblad, De Tijd (Brussel), De Groene Amsterdammer, BNR Nieuwsradio, Radio 1 en EenVandaag. Hij woont sinds 1996 in Barcelona.
5 feb 21:40 | after talk | ITA Salon | language: English
After talk with Tanya Beyeler hosted by Moos van den Broek.
In the press
‘With La Plaza, the Barcelonans get into their viewers’ heads in their own unique way.’ – De Morgen
El Conde de Torrefiel is a collective from the same generation as De Warme Winkel and Wunderbaum. Their work spans multiple artistic genres: video, music, text, theatre, dance. In the Netherlands, a performance by El Conde de Torrefiel is a rarity, but at the Brussels KunstenfestivaldesArts, for example, they are a beloved presence. Their theatre is unconventional and tragicomic and connects the political with the personal.
credits
conceived and devised by El Conde de Torrefiel in collaboration with the performers
direction Tanya Beyeler and Pablo Gisbert
text Pablo Gisbert
cast Gloria March Chulvi, Albert Pérez Hidalgo, Mónica Almirall Batet, Nicolas Carbajal, Amaranta Velarde, David Mallols & local performers: Victoria Bassan Szelest, Rozemarijn Pegt, Meike Stevens, Kumi Sekimoto, Anastasia Reshetnikova, Bobby Makariev, Gavin Dalusing, Miguel Martins, Rico Berveling
stage design El Conde de Torrefiel & Blanca Añón
costumes Blanca Añón & Performers
light Design Ana Rovira
sound design Adolfo Fernández García
stage manager Isaac Torres
technicians on tour Roberto Baldinelli, Javi Castrillón
production Kunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels), El Conde de Torrefiel
co-production Alkantara & Maria Matos Teatro (Lisbon), Festival d’Automne & Centre Pompidou (Paris), Festival GREC (Barcelona), Festival de Marseille, HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Berlin), Mousonturm Frankfurt am Main, FOG Triennale Milano Performing Arts, Vooruit (Ghent), Wiener Festwochen (Vienna), Black Box Theater (Oslo), Zurcher Thetaerspektakel (Zürich)
with the support of Zinnema (Brussels) , Festival SÂLMON, Mercat de les Flors and El Graner - Centre de Creació, Barcelona, Fabra i Coats, centre de creació Barcelona
diffusion & tour management Caravan Production
text translations Lisa Thunnissen (Nederlands)
thanks to Roberto Fratini Serafide, Luisa Guitierrez, Daniel Miracle, Rubén Ramos Nogueira (TEATRON), Christiana Galanopoulou, Griffon dance Studio (Athens), Los Reyes del Mambo, Laboratorios Festival SURGE (Madrid), Teatro Pradillo, Museo Reina Sofía, HAMACA Project, Arts Santa Mònica (Barcelona), Fabra i Coats - Fabrica de creaciò de Barcelona.
