‘Dirty Crusty’, a wild comedy free from prejudice
theAleix Fauró he returned from New York with a book under his arm. He had gone to do some theater research: he wanted to know what worked there. Unlike a souvenirthis book was a thoughtful gift, carefully and delicately, for theIsis Martin. It was a bet, a proposal, and Martín did not hesitate to accept it. The book was Dirty Crusty of the Clare Barron. And, from December 9, you will be able to see the play for the first time in Catalan, directed by Fauró and Martín, in the Sala Atrium.
“She talks about difficult things, she talks about assaults, mental illness, but she’s fresh and there’s no judgement,” explains Martín. “It’s a hard comedy”, adds Fauró. Dirty Crusty tells the story of Jeanine, who struggles to maintain a dignified and orderly life in the city. The work explores the limits of relationships, spaces and identities. One of the things that most interested the directors was that Barron wrote the play before #MeToo and before she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. “It is important to talk about the power of writing when it comes to healing”, says Martín. “Finding the balance between not judging the characters and not whitewashing the violence is one of the challenges”, he adds. For the Paul Escobaractor who plays Viktor, the best way to avoid prejudice is “to be completely honest and travel with Clare” and, in this, he assures, they are all on the same page.
On stage, nothing. Only one mask and three performers: the Patricia BargalloEscobar and the Sandra Pujol. The lights of Guillem Gelabert and the movements in charge of the Laia Duran fill the remaining space. And enough “There is sex and violence in the play and we didn’t want to pretend to be realistic, it’s not necessary”, explains Martín. A major challenge that they are working on together with an intimacy coordinator.
“The rehearsal process has been very beautiful”, says Fauró, and assures that, in large part, it is thanks to the generosity and dedication of the performers. “Everything has a meaning: how we move, how we occupy the space, how we look at each other… Before the text is spoken there is already a lot of information”, explains Pujol, who gives life to the protagonist, and highlights the work they are doing with Duran to find the movement of each character.
“Jeanine is a person with extreme sensitivity who finds it difficult to live in such an oppressive society”, says Pujol, and acknowledges that the protagonist has a lot of her. And everyone. “Who hasn’t been close to depression and had to continue facing life?”, wonders Fauró. “We live in a society that does not accept any difference, with or without a diagnosis,” he concludes.
“It’s a good show for families with teenagers to come”
“It’s a good show for families with teenagers to come,” says Pujol. And they all agree that everyone is, or has been, a little Jeanine, a little Viktor and a little Synda. “Ideal to give as a gift for Christmas”, they comment while laughing. They joke, but it is: a moment to look at each other without judgment while, perhaps, we recognize each other in the wounds. The same gift that Fauró gave Martín one day right after returning from New York.
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