Oriol Broggi rescues "an untouchable text" for the Teatre de Sarrià

BarcelonaTheatre director Oriol Broggi was only six years old when Fabià Puigserver premiered The Night of the Tribades In 1978 at the Teatre Lliure. Although Broggi didn't see it, he is very aware of the impact it had on Catalan culture. Starring Anna Lizaran, Muntsa Alcañiz, and Quim Lecina, that production became one of the foundational pieces of contemporary Catalan theater. "It was a very surprising show that remained in the collective memory and became an untouchable text. It hasn't been performed again; the memory it left was too important," explains Broggi. Undeterred by the weight of this precedent, the director of La Perla 29 has decided to revive Per Olov Enquist's (1934-2020) work in a new version with Cristina Arenas, Joan Marmaneu, Clara Mir, and Jordi Llovet. The Night of the Tribades It premieres on Friday, March 6th at the Teatre de Sarrià.

"When I read the text, I had my doubts, because it contains many outrageous things that are now outdated and obsolete," Broggi points out. These outrageous things come mainly from the character of August Strindberg (Joan Marmaneu), who bursts into a rehearsal to confront Siri von Essen (Clara Mir), from whom he is divorcing. "They have a stormy, very damaging relationship; he's almost an abuser. She's been hooked for many years and is now trying to break free," says the director. Marmaneu has been given the challenge of portraying a misogynistic and sexist man, with attitudes that, from today's perspective, are intolerable. "One of the biggest challenges of the production has been making these great, terrifying lines by Strindberg feel real. What's the point of bringing this to the stage now? How do you say it so it doesn't sound so far removed from today?" the actor reflects. "The two of them have an abusive marriage, but at the same time, there's a power dynamic in the rehearsal room. Strindberg is the author of the play that Siri stars in; she has to perform the words he's written. We've worked to understand how this relationship develops and the subsequent liberation," Mir points out.

There are two characters who witness this head-on clash between the protagonists. One of them is Marie Caroline David (Cristina Arenas), who works with Siri and is also her lover. "Faced with all the outrageous things Strindberg says, she remains silent, not because she's afraid of him, but because she loves Siri. She could rebel, but she chooses not to out of love," Arenas emphasizes. The other witness is the director of the show (Jordi Llovet), a young man who admires Strindberg until he meets him in person. "He has a very innocent view of the theater. For him, this encounter will be a process of discovery; he'll have an idol," says Llovet.

A young company

This version of The Night of the Tribades It is an adaptation by Joan Yago, based on the translation by Jem Cabanes. The show originated from a commission by the Sarrià Theatre, which invited La Perla 29 to use its stage to expand the venue's theatrical programming. Broggi emphasizes that one of the project's aims was to create a young company and introduce it to a wider audience. "It's very pleasing for the audience to see four very strong, young, and very prominent actors single-handedly carrying a play without too much artifice," says the director. The play takes place in a rehearsal room. To make the experience even more immersive, the company has placed tiered seating on the stage, so some of the audience members become part of the set.