This May, we attended various fairs and festivals to stay up-to-date with the latest in the performing arts, especially in circus and puppetry! Here’s our report…
Fira de Titelles
The president of the Sa Xerxa association, Jaume Gomila, was invited to be part of the jury for the 35th edition of the Fira de Titelles de Lleida, along with Pilar Mas from the Ayuntamiento de Utebo, Domingo Martínez from the Fira Mira Gandia, Grego Navarro from the Teatro Gayarre of Pamplona and Rocío Caballero from the Teatre Auditori Felip Pedrell of Tortosa.
Over four days (from May 2 to 5), the five jury members attended 35 different puppet and object shows. In fact, the Fair, besides puppets, specializes in telling stories with pencils, papers, balloons, musical instruments, soil, sand… with the most unexpected objects. These shows are not only aimed at children but also include performances with aesthetic and reflective depth for adults. It was a unique opportunity to meet and interact with puppet and object theater artists and programmers from around the world. According to Jaume, the selection was very challenging and the experience, magnificent!
Festival Circaire
On May 3, 4, and 5, Joana Maria Rosselló, responsible for the day-to-day operations, and Aina Quintana, coordinator and manager of Sa Xerxa de Teatre, attended Circaire, the circus festival in Alcúdia.
Firstly, they participated in professional sessions as representatives of Sa Xerxa. Specifically, at the presentation of the Festival Territorio Violeta and the roundtable discussion: Un escenari propi. La veu de les dones a les Arts Escèniques. Both activities were very interesting and focused on the theme of feminism in the performing arts. The first session worked on raising awareness about many issues surrounding women during the creative process: Is there any woman with decision-making power in the show? If there are women on stage, where are they positioned? Does their character revolve around a male one? Do they have a narrative? On the other hand, the roundtable focused on motherhood and what it means in the jobs within the performing arts circuit.
Nonetheless, they also enjoyed performances from both Balearic and non-Balearic companies. They attended Camaleó by the Mallorcan company Des-Equilibrats. Interestingly, in 2023, Circaire presented the piece in a work-in-progress format, and this year, the completed work was showcased. Similarly, they went to Karparty by La troupe Malabó (from Valencia), which filled the Pont de la Vila Roja and made both children and adults smile. They also enjoyed Nessuno, a work in progress by the Italian Giorgio Bertolotti. Finally, the Saturday performance of Sense destí by the Mallorcan company Clownómadas was a very special show!
Festival Internacional de Teatre de Teresetes
On Thursday, May 9, Aina Quintana, coordinator and manager of Sa Xerxa, also attended the 26th edition of the Festival Internacional de Teatre de Teresetes de Mallorca. There, she could enjoy the professional sessions in the evening, with the talk Manipulative Hands, which featured a discussion on the presentation of body puppets in contemporary creations. Jordi Bertran and Toni Rumbau from Catalonia and Maru Fernández and Gerardo Martínez from Uruguay participated. It was a very entertaining session to reflect on the body and puppets.
Among other shows, Aina got to know three projects fresh from the oven. First, she attended the presentation of the evolution of Odissees by La Mecànica, which had been seen in a work-in-progress format at the last edition of FIET in Vilafranca. Secondly, Vai via by Xirriquiteula Teatre. Finally, she attended the presentation of the latest project by Teatro Percutor, a company from Madrid.
