The play takes place in an undetermined country in West Africa, where a number of local workers are carrying out construction work commissioned by a French company. The engineer in control of the works, Cal, kills one of the black workers and tries to make his body disappear by throwing it into a sewer. But Alboury, a mysterious character in perpetual gloom, reclaims the body of the worker and refuses to leave without getting what he asks for. On the same day, Léone arrives at the site, a young Parisian woman who is the new partner of Horn, the old works manager who offers Alboury compensation to leave. He, however, is incorruptible and his attitude will provoke the Westerners in charge of the construction site to plan a drastic solution to the problem...
Bernard-Marie Koltès tells us about colonialism and oppression, not only in Africa but also in our society, which survives thanks to exploited and oppressed workers. We are the dogs barking to defend the western paradise we have built, an island of apparent security that is represented by the play where the action takes place. We live on the margins, exiled to a mental periphery, because of our inability to open up and build a home that welcomes and protects everyone. The characters on stage represent the actors in this dynamic of oppression: brute force (Cal), economic power (Horn), Léone who, like ourselves, does not get her hands dirty, but enjoys the benefits generated by the neo-colonial dynamic. And then there is Alboury, the voice of conscience who makes the rest of the characters realise their actions, played by Ricard Boyle, a Catalan actor of African origin who also stars in the production Annobón in this edition of the Grec Festival.
Director Roberto Romei (Lehman Trilogy, Grec 2016 Festival; Shenzhen significa infern, Grec 2018 Festival; among others) arranges the staging of this play, the work of a playwright, which is a contemporary classic of European drama. Koltès is the author of daring creations employing poetic, direct language, which he combines with innovative dramatic structures. He is the author of such well-known pieces as The Night Just Before the Forests and Roberto Zucco.
A coproduction by Grec 2021 Festival of Barcelona, Teatre Tantarantana and Arsènic Creacions.
On Friday, 9 July, the show will be followed by a discussion as part of the Debat Grec series: “Creation, Colonialism and Racism”.
Playwright: Bernard-Marie Koltès Translation: Sergi Belbel Director: Roberto Romei Performers: Pep Ambròs, Ricard Boyle, Meritxell Calvo, Manuel Dueso Set: Roger Orra Costume design: Marta Rafa Sound: Jordi Collet Audiovisual space: Lluís Miras Assistant directors: Laia Ricart, Oskar GarciaPoster illustrator: Marc Torrecillas
