"The system tells us that if we try hard, we can achieve anything we want, and that's not true."

BarcelonaPlaywright and director Miquel Mas Fiol (Sa Casa Blanca, Mallorca, 1996) cannot look at the world without filtering it through the prism of his generation, the millennials. Inevitably, this perspective permeates all his work, and he makes no secret of it. Millennial Condition Trilogy, which arrives at Espai Lliure on November 5, includes three free versions of three literary classics (Naive, Werther and The miserable onesThe play explores the experiences of a group of characters living in the 21st century, aged between 30 and 40. "It's a critique of the millennial condition, which constantly forces us to sell ourselves as products of the market. Our personalities have been hijacked by this economy," explains Mas Fiol. The pieces will be performed in alternating shows during the week and in a marathon format on the weekend, with a total duration of approximately six hours.

A Candide or optimismIn his first show, Mas Fiol wanted to highlight "the tyranny of happiness seen through irreverent criticism." The playwright conceived it as a monologue (performed by Lluís Oliver) while still a student at the Institut del Teatre. "We premiered it during the pandemic; some programmers came, and we were lucky enough to move to Badabadoc and, later, to Sala Atrium," recalls Mas Fiol. He himself describes the trajectory of these productions as "a path of steps," because one milestone has led to another. Naive As he forged his path, Mas Fiol set out to "explore the tyranny of sadness, the existential and romantic emptiness of not knowing which destiny to choose, and the act of selling our miseries." He did so through The Sorrows of Young WertherIn another monologue performed by Mel Salvatierra, which premiered at the Tantarantana, this theater took a chance on him and made him its first resident director, in a project by the venue to give space and support to directors. The result of that commitment was the third pillar of the Millennial Condition Trilogy: a rereading ofThe miserable ones which calls for revolution and features Salvatierra, Oliver, and Gerard Franch in the cast.

It curbs the war impulse

Teatre Lliure wanted to be another step in the journey of this trilogy, and for that reason, it is now presenting the entire trilogy at Espai Lliure. "The protagonists are young people who want to carry out a revolution but encounter obstacles to their fighting spirit, especially from the capitalist system. The shows reveal the characters' tensions between their ideals and who they really are, reflecting these spaces of contradiction with humor, intelligence, and wit," summarizes Julio Manrique, director of Teatre Lliure.

All these elements also resonate in Burpeas, Mas Fiol's most recent work, which coincidentally almost coincides with the release of Trilogy of the Millennial Condition.Burpeas It will premiere on November 15th at the Teatre Akadèmia after its run at Temporada Alta, and revolves around a influencer who makes a living giving men advice on how to become millionaires and succeed in today's society. "It talks about these men who teach others how to be men of value in the 21st century. It's linked to a productivist logic; young people who watch this content find very toxic references," says Mas Fiol, who adds: "The four programs talk about how the system tells us that, if we work hard, we can achieve anything we want, and the reality is very different."