'Final de Trayecto' premiere
- Iggy Planas
- Mar 20, 2023
- 5 min read
Last Friday at 20h in hall 2 of Fabra i Coats, we premiere the most recent play of Mamut Teatre, 'Final de Trayecto' (End of Journey), by Misael Sanroque, in front of an audience of around 60 people, in a performance that was, at least, very interesting and curious.
What is the play about?
Last train station in a muddy wasteland. Two men wait at that unnamed station, with no billboards or signals. One is younger than the other, but both of them wear trench coats and no one knows -exactly- where they are or when the train will arrive.
The interruption of a woman looking for his son will make them think if they really expect something or if «waiting» is just a loop or the delusion of a limbo where we can only «wait for the train to come».
When two strangers have nothing better to do, they speak about the weather... So both men and the woman also speak about time, they spend time and remember other times when they worked in a walking circus and didn't worry about fetching the train.
Last Friday was a curious day, we started this play rehearsals around one month ago, and it was a challenge itself for us to meet the expectations. After talking about it in festival MUTIS presentation, its press conference and a radio interview with Laura Clemente in Ràdio Ona de Sants, we already knew because of some comments that the expectations were high on the audience, and we must meet them. During the rehearsals we felt an environment of companionship and trust that let us experiment a little bit; personally, I left those rehearsals feeling quite content and proud of my work, so I arrived on the 17th of March with some tranquillity, though also with the typical nerves of a premiere.
After gathering together in mid-afternoon, we started working on scenery, we made a technical performance, we dressed in our costumes and put makeup on in a very funny atmosphere, our happiness and readiness to show what we had prepared during the last weeks were noticeable in the air. The clock marked 20h quickly and, with that sensation still in my body, I faced the scene to make a show.
Pictures prior to the show
What was seen on stage was a show itself, though there were some moments where we had to bite the bullet, improvise and follow the "show must go on" premise. But, after all, what's important in the play is that those moments are as less noticeable as possible and ride the play to a place that we already rehearsed and we want to show.
Although what we showed on stage was filled with improvisations, the audience left the hall feeling satisfied with what they watched. The reviews were mixed, some of them praised some aspects of the play and there were other constructive critiques to improve. A thing that we will take into account when improving the play in the future even though that, from our point of view, what we showed in our premiere wasn't at times what we expected, so we will need to make a sieve of those reviews to choose those that fit what we are looking for.
Thanks very much to all the audience for your support, patience, and comprehension. I remember that when I left the stage , my sensation on what I gave to the audience were still confuse and, at some point, I felt worried that I wasn't able to give the best version of the play to them when they had already paid for a ticket. But with time these feelings are taking their place, and I'm reflecting and looking for a way to keep those positive aspects of this premiere. Above all, a million thanks for everything, dear audience! Though I didn't salute you at the end (die to script requirements) I felt the warmth of your applauses and smiled into myself with some degree of satisfaction.
Thanks to Endika Páez for his help when filming the play and his words after the show, is such a pleasure to count on you and receive such support, a million thanks, mate! I also want to acknowledge Clàudia Núñez, photographer of the festival, for the incredible pictures that you can see throughout this post. Thanks for your work!
I also want to thank Misael Sanroque, not only the director but also the author of the text, for counting on me again in another project, even though that, from the beginning, I expressed my fears on returning to the stage after this strange pandemic years when I barely hit the stage. Thanks for your pieces of advice, your words of comfort, your trust, and your art when writing; I hope I have not destroyed your text with my improvisations, those were things you have to make live. In addition, I want to thank Eloisa Faltoni, our alderwoman and producer, for all her affection and help during the moments before the premiere. A million and one thanks!
To my co-starts: Rita Ardiaca, for meeting the expectations through the circumstances and knowing how to weather the storm after these frenetic weeks, where we didn't only work in this play, but also in The Real Housewives of Benidorm. Thanks a lot, mate and, as I told you, «we can feel proud, we had come into the Colosseum, fought against the lions, and left alive.» A million thanks for your trust, the company, the art, and the conversation!
To Òscar Boix, thanks mate for all your effort and work. Because after this marathon where «there was only little time to train» we faced it and fought to carry on, because «time does commit suicide» and though we already know it, we are able and brave to face it and expose ourselves to it. Thanks a lot for your company, coffee in front of the script, and the conversations we had. A bad day can happen to anyone, it's in ourselves to stand up and make the climb. Lots of energy and high spirits, let's keep working and trusting in yourself!
Currently, we will make a small break in the tracks of 'Final de Trayecto' to assess the situation and rest, after this frenetic month where we would have put on the play in around 10-15 rehearses and text readings, I think we deserve it. We promise to return with more 'Final de Trayecto' with new energies and the best we can give on stage, though right now we must wait for the decision of the festival's jury since we can, maybe, receive some prizes in the festival's Awards Gala.
Without anything else to say, it's time to wrap up this post. These weeks I will try to come and watch some plays at Festival MUTIS, whose billboard looks fantastic. If you want to meet me there, you can have a look and choose the play that fits you best on their website: www.mutis.es. As usual, see you in the next post with more news.
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