ATRESBANDES invokes Chekhov in “Леший (Leshi)”, a free and ironic reading of a forgotten work – Joan Brossa Foundation
- The company premieres a playful and meta-theatrical version of a little-known piece by Chekhov, a precursor to Uncle Vania.
- From November 26 to December 7 at the Free Arts Center of the Joan Brossa Foundation.
Barcelona, November 14, 2025 – the company ATRESBANDS premiere Leshiy (Leshi)a new production that delves into one of the lesser-known works ofAnton Chekhov. This piece, written in 1889 and repudiated by the author himself after its failure, is the first version of one of his masterpieces, Uncle Vania.
With this premiere, ATRESBANDES proposes a free, ironic and metatheatrical reading of this text, turning it into a scenic play space where reflection, humor and the exploration of various scenic languages coexist. the show, co-produced by the company and the Joan Brossa Foundation within of the IF Barcelona festivalcan be seen from November 26 to December 7 at the Liberal Arts Center from the Joan Brossa Foundation.
A stage reading in four acts
A Leshiy (Leshi), Albert Pérez Hidalgo is the only interpreter of a proposal that reconstructs fragments of the original work from different scenic languages: the theater of objects, the installation, the performative conference and the dance. The show preserves the four-act structure of Chekhov’s workbut each of them adopts its own aesthetic and language.
The first act presents the play and its characters fromobjects found around the Joan Brossa Foundation’s Liberal Arts Center, where the project was conceived; the second is one installation which reinterprets the Chekhovian imagination and the clichés associated with its universe; the third takes the form of one performative conference which reflects on the challenges of performing a Chekhov text; and the fourth, finally, closes the proposal with a movement piece i dance which invokes the spirit of Leshi, a mythological being protecting the forests.
Through this structure, ATRESBANDES turns the work into a stage ritual that invokes Chekhov to dialogue and intervene in his piece. The result is one free and playful exploration of Chekhov’s workwhich brings together the multiple characters and emotions of the original work to explain them to the viewer.
The starting point: a failed work
Лешийliterally translated as Leshiis a work written by Anton Tchekhov in 1889 and published in Catalan as a The sorcerer of the woods. The original title refers to a figure from the slavic mythologya forest spirit that protects animals and punishes those who break the natural balance. Set in a rural estate, the play combines comedy with social criticism and psychological portrait to show the tensions of characters trapped by their routine, their mediocrity and their frustrated dreams.
Despite its ambition, the piece had very little reception and theauthor prohibited future performances. Ten years later, Chekhov recovered much of the characters and conflicts to write Uncle Vaniaone of his most celebrated works.
The company explores a dialogue between the visual theater and objects — axis of the festival FC Barcelona— and Chekhov’s universe in order to alter the tradition of seeing the author’s plays within a textual and conventional theatre. This challenge has led ATRESBANDES to an investigation of new languages based on the critical and ironic look that characterizes both the company and Anton Chekhov.
About ATRESBANDES
ATRESBANDS was born in 2011 from the artistic meeting between Monica Almirall, Miquel Segovia i Albert Perez at the Barcelona Theater Institute. Influenced by multiple disciplines and references of contemporary culture, the company bets on one laboratory theaterwhere the creative process is essential and doubt, the main engine. Among his productions stand out desert (2024), Global aspect of an issue (2022), The war of the worlds (2022), Don’t worry me (2021), Locus amoenus (2015) and Solfatara (2013).
USEFUL INFORMATION
From November 26 to December 7
From Wednesday to Saturday, at 7:30 p.m
Sunday at 12 p.m
Format: text, visual theater and objects
Duration: 90 minutes (approx.)
Inside the IF Barcelona festival
ART FILE
A creation of ATRESBANDES
Direction and dramaturgy: Monica Almirall i Albert Pérez Hidalgo
Interpretation: Albert Pérez Hidalgo
Musical interpretation and sound space: Miquel Segovia
Stage space: Claudia Vila i ATRESBANDS
Lighting design: Conchita Pons
Production: Imma Bové
A co-production of ATRESBANDES and the Joan Brossa Foundation with the support of the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Acknowledgments: Los Detectives, Irena Visa and Pau Masaló
More information and interview management:
Diana Juanpere Dunyó
Communication and press
djuanpere@fundaciojoanbrossa.cat
