Marta Buchaca: "When you've lived as a couple and had children, love is much more real."

BarcelonaPlaywright and director Marta Buchaca (Barcelona, ​​1979) explains that, over time, she has stopped believing in romantic love and has discovered real love. And she talks about that emotional journey. Kramig, a comedy about a couple who are about to become parents: Laia (actress Anna Moliner) and Toni (actor Biel Duran). She is a Disney fan; he is the opposite. It's a romantic love with the incisive irony that Buchaca has already displayed in other productions such as Rita (2019) and Lito (2012).

Until now your only romantic comedy was Losers (2013). Why did you return to the genre?

— It's funny, because Losers I made it about idealized love. It was a comedy about what happens after the first kiss. Now I've gone much further: how can we have an adult relationship in these times? The world has changed, it's crazy. We're very connected, but very lonely. I'm one of those who thinks social media has isolated us and loneliness weighs more heavily.

Do your works reflect your life moment?

— Yes. I got married, had children, separated, and now I'm in another relationship. I've lived the Disney story, and it's all gone to hell. I wrote this comedy from the experience of rebuilding a relationship that, in no way, was what I had dreamed of when I was little. The show has a great sense of humor because I want to laugh, but there's also that final message that life is about stages. Enjoy it, you're married now, because then it might be over. I'm long past that fifteen-year-old thing of searching for the man of my life who would be the father of my children.

In the novel Six months of winter (Navona, 2022) We read a very different Marta Buchaca than she is today. How has your work changed over time?

— The novel was the response to a very difficult personal moment, and Marta Buchaca was exceptional. Kramig It's a romantic comedy; people should come to be moved and laugh at life. It's okay if things end; they rebuild themselves differently. Sometimes, when you're in a hole, you think you'll never get out, but humans have that advantage: we're resilient.

Are the protagonists also at this point?

— The play jumps back and forth to explain their relationship. She's a textbook romantic, obsessed. Pretty Woman, Dirty dancing…She has believed it and tries to fit her life and her partner into this world.

They are two completely opposite people, and yet they are in love with each other.

— The relationships that work best are those between couples who are completely different. I've adopted the gender stereotypes: she's super-romantic, he's very laid-back, but at the same time, he's a superstitious guy who has to perform certain rituals to leave the house. They have a shared goal: having a child, and the show is the accompaniment to that pregnancy.

Why did you choose pregnancy as a turning point?

— When I wrote it, a long time ago, I'd already had my first child, was trying for my second, and then got pregnant. I made this comedy as a mother, and perhaps that's why I also talk about relationships from a more mature perspective. I'm not familiar with the world, how I explain it, and how I try to understand it. The innocence of my earlier works is gone. And, instead, I've gained a cynicism that allows me to admire life from a much more sarcastic perspective.

The synopsis says that Kramig "It's a reflection on real love." What is real love?

— Truly loving, not this idea of romantic love based on being given flowers and being sung a song. The protagonist wants someone to propose to her, she wants to get married in white, all of that. Sometimes you have a wonderful person by your side who cares for you and loves you, but you don't see them because you're obsessed with experiencing romantic love. When you're young, you want to get married, live with a partner, and have children. When you've already done that, love is much more real, more genuine.

You wrote, produced, and directed this show yourself. Do you feel a lot of pressure to make it happen?

— This is the first time I've produced a show alone. It's a huge professional step and risk, and I'm scared. I hope people come; I rely heavily on word of mouth. So far, the shows we've done have worked; people come out and recommend it. I came from doing major plays, like How much time do I have left? at the Goya Theater and Only once at the TNC, and now I wanted to do a smaller show, with only two actors, and that I could tour to take to many places.

Premieres at a very good time for theater. What has brought about this golden age of theaters?

— In Catalonia, there are some very good authors, high-quality theater, and audiences respond to it. This is wonderful. But there's a big problem: precariousness, especially for people starting out. Public theaters aren't making a national commitment to creating new playwriting. This makes me suffer greatly. Fortunately, I've already established my career. Guillem Clua, Cristina Clemente, Jordi Casanovas—we're already here and we'll continue to do plays. But what about the rising generations? It's unacceptable that commercial theater invests more in new authors than public theater.