Pere Hosta: "I've been doing serious humor for 20 years"

GironaHe's capable of making young and old laugh just with his gestures, without words. He plays a dog, as in his last show. Woof, which this Saturday and Sunday at 7 pm can be seen at the Port Olímpic in Barcelona during the Fiestas de la Mercè, or open and close doors, one of the traits for which he is best known. "I've been doing serious humor from Girona to the world for 20 years," he claims. He is Pere Hosta (Girona, 1975), clown, not to call him a clown, which is exactly the same but without the negative connotation we are used to giving him. "It's often said as a put-down: 'Don't be such a clown!'" he reflects. "But being a clown is about being transparent, sincere; reaching people through humor."

Two decades ago he entered this world with the show directed by Pep Vila Just the way I am, in which he bared himself, beginning with a long monologue, showcasing the personality traits of the Girona people. It was a context in which Teatre de Guerrilla dominated television and the stage. "They compared me to them, and I decided to find my own language," he recalls. This is how, little by little, he began to "replace words with gestures." A path toward the absurd that has turned him into a unique clown: "I don't do anything, but I do everything; I found my path by filling the gap between doing nothing." Now he can proudly claim that both he and his partner, the clown Bleda, make a living from it after "chipping away at a lot of stones." Internationalization has been fundamental to this journey: "The fact of not speaking opens doors everywhere."

La Planeta

Pere Hosta's training began in Girona, from plays at the Maristas School, also drawing on listening animation, to fifteen years teaching at the El Galliner theater school. But if his support from one space stands out, it's the independent theater at La Planeta. "For me, Pere Puig and Anna Carina are patrons. Perhaps I wouldn't be where I am if it weren't for people like them, who have offered us a rehearsal space whenever we needed it," he says. It was on stage where he started, but over time, the street has become his natural space in which to perform. "On the street, I find the clown more alive than ever with improvisation and experiencing the moment of the audience, in addition to having the opportunity to reach everyone," he emphasizes.

Le Bistrot

For the interview, we met on the steps of the Le Bistrot café-restaurant, on the Sant Domènec hill in the Barri Vell district. In the blink of an eye, he's won over all the tourists on the terrace: he waves from the café window to those present as laughter erupts. He's wearing a T-shirt with the slogan "Make humor," designed by his brother Xavier Hosta, the motto with which he celebrates 20 years of acting. "It's a call to make humor together," he explains. Hosta spent his youth in old Girona, and now sees it as a danger of extinction. He currently lives in the Eixample district, next to the station, and grows nostalgic when he can't cycle through the Barri Vell district because of the influx of cyclists. In this context of constant change, especially in terms of its gastronomic offerings, Le Bistrot remains unchanged by the passage of time. "It's where we always used to meet after shows because it closes late, and now it's one of the few that hasn't changed," he explains.

The comics on 22nd Street

Another space that hasn't changed over time is the comic book section and kiosk of Bookstore 22. Despite the change in ownership of the bookstore after the alliance with Abacus, it still has a space reserved for comics. "For me, stories, comics, drawings, and shapes are a huge source of inspiration, because you can make a gag out of three comics; they're a huge simplification," he says. It's part of his great search for the absurd: "Observing the street and everyday life is when you realize the absurdity of everything." That's why he always explains that "the first theater" he experienced in his life was the first communication: "I found myself," he says. As a professional, he requests that each show be artistically directed by a clown or street theater artist. This has led to each show being directed by a different person. In the case of Woof, was Rubí-born Leandre Ribera, who considers himself "one of the best clowns in the world." Transformed into a dog, he manages to show us how humans "are happy with things as simple as throwing a ball or jumping." "And this fulfills us, just as doing nothing fulfills us," he adds.

People

When I asked him what he would highlight about Girona, one of the first things he replied was the people. While we were making a sparkling water on the steps of Sant Domènec, he couldn't stop greeting his former students from the terrace of Le Bistrot. The internet is key to making a living from the performing arts, especially in a world as despised as clowning. In 2012, he created his first street show, Postal Express, directed by Sophie Borthwick, in which he played a lovable postman looking for a place to deliver packages. But at the same time, he premiered something even bigger at Temporada Alta: BirdA show in which he tangled with the best of Girona: Isaki Lacuesta did the audiovisual production, Carles Cors the music, and Manel Trias the stage direction. "When you dare to involve more people and create more networks, it generates more results," he analyzes. "That's how I got into Circ Cric, Tortell Poltrona met me, and I ended up performing at Espai Brossa." Now he's back at Temporada Alta with Lumiero, by La Menuda, which has already sold out all its tickets and new performances have been opened.