The most passionate mass phenomenon in Catalonia (and it's not football)

BarcelonaJosep Canet is a locksmith with a business in Sant Feliu de Codines, working nine hours a day as a self-employed professional. When he finishes work, he heads up to the theater. From a young age, his parents instilled in him a passion for the stage, a passion he has maintained—and continues to maintain—for over 50 years. When asked to explain what drives him to direct and act in the amateur theater company Deixalles 81, the locksmith dusts off a cherished memory. "When I was little, my father had a fantastic toy. He would sit in an armchair and bring everything that came to mind to the stage: a raging sea, a sword fight. I would watch him and just want to do the same, because it was amazing," Canet explains. His father founded Deixalles 81 in 1981, when he was nine years old. In 2002, he took the reins, and he still holds them. Deixalles 81 is one of the companies associated with the Federation of Amateur Theatre Groups, which comprises 344 groups throughout Catalonia. All of them, together with other non-associated companies, form a vibrant and dynamic network of amateur theatre that feeds community centers, cultural centers, and theatres across the country, and includes groups with long histories; for example, AEM Teatre de Lleida and La Teatral de La Caixa, which have just celebrated their 100th anniversaries.

The value of amateur theatre is known and praised by a large part of the professional performing arts sector. Many working professionals spent their youth on amateur theatre stages. However, throughout history, this type of theatre has been undervalued and stigmatized. To change this, La Cubana has made its latest show, the successful Love came in a taxiA tribute to non-professional theater. "In one way or another, everyone involved in theater in Catalonia comes from amateur theater. It's the foundation of Catalan theater and one of our greatest treasures," explains Jordi Milán, director of La Cubana, who emphasizes that "amateur theater exists thanks to the efforts of all the people dedicated to it, but it hasn't received institutional support." For Milán, being part of these companies "teaches you the craft, because everything is pure artisanal work, and you have to make things with just a shoe and a sandal." Since resources are very limited, "what's important is imagination, and it helps you appreciate that with just a few things you find lying around the house, you can create a story," notes the director of La Cubana.

This is precisely one of the key principles that Josep Canet conveys to the groups of teenagers with whom he shares the stage. "Since what we do isn't tied to a salary, we can enjoy theater in a much more altruistic way, and above all, for the sheer joy of it. I tell the kids: 'Let's do theater because we love it.' The commitment has to be sincere, and at the same time, we have to have a good time. We function like a dream club," Canet points out. This definition fits like a glove with the story experienced by the members of the company ofSoul, the musical that The National Theatre of Catalonia inaugurated the past season and? It will return to the Tivoli Theatre starting in February.A few years before this triumphant adventure, Paula Malia, Victor G. Casademunt, Oriol Burés, and Gara Roda were teenagers dreaming of putting on a show and embracing the magic of theater when they didn't yet know anyone. "We met at the Eòlia School when we were about 16. Instead of going out drinking, we'd take a train and lock ourselves in the Esbart Dansaire de Rubí, where we rehearsed scenes from our favorite musicals. It was our way of spending the weekend," recalls Paula Malia.

The actress first came into contact with theater thanks to her grandmother Roser, who was part of an amateur theater company. "She wanted to be an actress, but my grandfather never quite understood. He did amateur theater at the Sants Catholic Center, and ever since I was little, he took us to perform." The Shepherds“I remember going to rehearsals at night in the freezing cold. It all stems from that,” Malia explains. For the performer, the craft is often forged in these companies that build a space “where there is no money or criticism, but also neither the pressure and responsibility associated with professionalization.” Malia concludes: “In amateur theater, everything is about authenticity and the love of telling a story. I hope this is never lost.”

“A huge change in my life”

Often, members of amateur theater companies join as children, but sometimes they also end up there by unexpected paths. This is the case of Ramon Micó, a member of Bajo Cabina, part of the Lluïsos de Gràcia theater group. "One summer thirteen years ago, I had just broken up with my partner and was very sad. I needed to connect with people and rebuild my circle of friends," Micó explains. That's how he ended up in one of Barcelona's historic theater groups and eventually turned that hobby into his vocation. "It was a huge change in my life. At the time, I was studying geological engineering, a double degree. I was passionate about it, but the job prospects didn't convince me, and I was uncertain about what to do after I finished university. Theater was my way out," Micó explains. For a while, he combined his work as a theater instructor for children and young people with the Lluïsos de Gràcia with performing with Bajo Cabina. "We'd go bowling and spend the whole weekend away. It was always like an adventure. Theater forces you to share intimate things, and special bonds end up being formed," says Micó. In vaudeville Politically incorrect He played his first leading role and with The effect of gamma rays on daisies He made his directorial debut. Later, he turned professional with shows like Silences (2019), The Last Day of the Dog Man (2023) and the recent Hey! I'm Steven –which could be seen last season at the Maldà—without neglecting her work at Bajo Cabina. "Theater is very necessary, especially among children and teenagers, if it is taken seriously. Through pure play, they are able to experience what is happening to them, verbalize it, and understand it. When I worked with young people, I saw how they let go and freed themselves. It's a very beautiful process," she emphasizes.

It is precisely this opportunity to play with the characters and become someone completely different on stage that led Francesca Iglesias to join the company at the Sarrià Parish Center. "The first time I joined, I wanted to disconnect from my daily life. It allows me to be other characters, to step outside of myself. Since I have small roles, I have a lot of fun without major responsibilities on stage," Iglesias explains. She has only been a member for a relatively short time—she joined in 2021—but she has already forged strong bonds with the nine other women in the company. "We talk a lot amongst ourselves; after rehearsals, we go out to dinner and share our life stories. Theater unites us in a special way," Iglesias points out. This relationship took them to London a few weeks ago. "We are preparing a version of The mousetrap "From Agatha Christie, and someone said it was one of the longest-running shows in the UK. We went to see it together, it was fantastic," Iglesias recalls.

Returning to the village has given you

Among those involved in amateur theater companies, there is a shared sense of gratitude towards this art form and the community that welcomes them to practice it. One of the most representative examples of this need to give back to the community is that of actor Ernest Villegas, who has brought a top-tier program to the El Teatro Cultural Center in Sant Miquel de Balenyà, featuring shows such as Story of a wild boar with Joan Carreras, Impossible with Lluís Soler and Fairfly from La Calórica. "I started with the legendary The Shepherds"I was nine or ten years old and I played Rabadà," Villegas recalls. As a teenager, along with other friends from the village, they mastered the art of theater and transformed it completely. "We didn't want to limit ourselves to just doing The Shepherds"The Sant Jordi drama and the Fiesta Mayor play. We laid the stage on the ground and moved the bleachers. Some people from the town said all sorts of things to us, but then they started coming and they liked it," Villegas explains.

The actor could have been "a man who doesn't want to leave his town and stays there rehearsing three times a week at nine at night," but he saw himself reflected in professional performers—"heavy and committed," he admits. So he went to Barcelona, ​​enrolled in the School of Theatre, trained, and turned that hobby into his job. "Becoming a professional sometimes means accepting projects you might not want to do. On the other hand, with amateur theatre, you do what you love and an incredible community is created, with people who know how to do many things, not just act," the actor says. Those beginnings in amateur theatre, he adds, have "given him everything," from "a way of life and communication" to "encouragement." He was in debt and, for that reason, decided to grow the town's theater altruistically, combining the usual programming of the hall – and the yoga and zumba classes, because it is a multipurpose space – with six or seven annual performances of small-format professional productions that often remain far from small municipalities.