Arnau Solaní: "We don't want the letter to the Three Kings to be just a very long shopping list."

BarcelonaThis year I'm not acting; I'm working as a stagehand and helping out as a lighting and sound technician. The previous two years I did direct and also played the roles of Lluquet and Satan.

And what roles do your daughters play?

— Carlota plays the bonfire maker and Martina plays the shepherdess. The eldest daughter is very outgoing and hasn't stopped acting since 2021. The youngest, during the performance, sometimes danced around the audience. She also followed the tradition and one year played the role of Jesus. Many years ago, my parents also acted, as did my uncle Antonio.

So what do you remember from when you were a child?

— I remember being scared when the demons came out. And also laughing my head off at Jeremiah and Rovelló. A thousand anecdotes that my parents had experienced backstage. And above all, I remember seeing my father playing the Black King for many years.

What do you think is the most endearing moment ofThe Shepherds?

— There are several. Perhaps the most moving moment for the children who come to see us is the entrance of the Three Kings through the auditorium. It's the end of the play, when they go to perform the adoration and pass through the auditorium greeting the children and throwing sweets. You see those wide eyes of the children, those faces full of emotion... It's priceless, a moment that must be experienced.

What peculiarity do they have? The Shepherds What are you putting on at the San Pedro 1892 Center?

— All The Shepherds The shows we put on in Catalonia are unique, both those that do a full version with all the "er"s and "ut"s, and those that do a more free interpretation. In our case, we create them with children in mind, using a fast pace that keeps them engaged, and the fact that it's a musical also makes it very powerful. This year we're bringing back the musical version. We've incorporated songs from other musicals and well-known tunes, with altered lyrics to help tell the story.

If I ask you how your daughters do it, you'll tell me very well, of course.

— Last year Martina played Saint Gabriel, and since she does ballet, we used this discipline in the Annunciation scene to have her dance while her recorded voice read the text. It was a very moving scene.

And Carlota?

— She had to play a fire-breather; we explained to her that she was a bad character, so she had to look angry and hold her hands as if she wanted to scratch. And despite being only five years old, she managed to maintain the character perfectly in every scene, with spectacular discipline. Everyone was watching her because she was so funny.

What's Christmas like at home? Has it changed much since you were little?

— Regarding what we celebrate, not much has changed, because my partner and I share the same vision. She's added the tradition of the Christmas tree, which wasn't a thing in my house, and the figure of Olentzero, since she's from Navarre. As for the experience itself, I don't think much has changed. Everything is the same as always, with the magic of the Three Kings. Perhaps the biggest difference is the American influence, with movies and TV series.

And the gifts. There are more every year.

— I completely agree. If you're a small family, everyone wants to give a gift, and it's happened before at home that the greatest gifts aren't the ones we make at home, but the ones from family.

Have your daughters already written their letters?

— At home, we take our time writing our letters to the Three Kings. We start at the beginning of November, adding everything that could be a gift. If we have any ideas during the summer, we write those down too.

Wow, what foresight.

— Now, when they sit down to write their letters, they also mention everything that has happened to them during the year, the important things they've learned. We don't want the letter to be just a very long shopping list. They understand that the Three Kings won't bring them everything, and the Three Kings always bring something they didn't ask for.

As every year, during the after-dinner conversation at Christmas lunch, he'll reminisce about anecdotes. Tell me one.

— One year, leaving a friend's house loaded with bags full of gifts and other bags full of wrapping paper, we went to a dumpster and threw in the gift bags. When we realized what had happened, we had to backtrack to get them out and throw away the bags of paper. What a scare!