Brossa and the others

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Notes

1. The Dau al Set movement drew on influences from surrealism and dadaism in formulating an artistic discourse shaped by unconscious impulses as well as concrete objects. General information about the magazine ‘Dau al Set’ and its significance is found at http://www.uoc.edu/lletra/revistes/daualset/. This website also includes links to a specialist bibliography.

2. Joan Brossa, Poesía rasa (1943–1959) (Barcelona: Edicions Ariel, 1970). This was the first published volume of Brossa's complete poetry, with an introduction by Manuel Sacristán. For a full bibliography on Brossa, see http://www.escriptors.cat/autors/brossaj/index.html.

3. Brossa has said of one of these collections, Normes de mascarada (Rules of the Mascarade), ‘no se estrenó ninguno, ya que a los actores no les interesaba porque no hablaban, a los bailarines tampoco porque no bailaban y los directores de escena no entendían nada’ (not one of them was premiered, since the actors weren't interested in them as there were no speaking parts. Neither did the dancers dance, and the directors didn't understand a thing). Alfonso Alegre Heitzmann, ‘Joan Brossa: azar y esencia de la poesía’, Rosa Cúbica, 5 (1990–91), 8–24 (p. 19).

4. John London, ‘The Theatrical Poetry of Joan Brossa’, in Joan Brossa, Words are Things: Poems, Objects and Installations, Exhibition Catalogue (London: Riverside Studios, 1992), pp. 20–23 (p. 22).

5. Joan Brossa, Teatre complet. Poesia escènica (Barcelona: Edicions 62, 1983). These complete works were issued in six volumes, written between 1945 and 1978. Publishing began in 1973 and was completed in 1983.

6. The Espai Escènic Joan Brossa was founded in 1997. It is one of the so-called ‘alternative’ or fringe theatres in Barcelona and has a seating capacity of sixty. Aside from programming works by the author, the ethos of the theatre is to connect with the spirit of his work through productions related to avant-garde movements and paratheatrical genres.

7. Món Brossa, created and directed by Franco di Francescantonio, ran at the TNC's Sala Petita between 20 September and 14 October 2001.

8. Although it is important to note that Brossa's earliest works date to the early 1940s and effectively predate the theatre of the absurd.

9. While Brossa was interested in all of Meyerhold's theories, he often referred to the 1913 article ‘The Fairground Booth’, as well as the 1930 text ‘The Reconstruction of the Theatre’. See Edward Braun (ed.), Meyerhold on Theatre (London: Methuen, 1991), pp. 119–143, 253–274.

10. See footnote 5 for full details.

11. Jordi Coca, Joan Brossa o el pedestal són les sabates (Barcelona: Editorial Pòrtic, 1971).

12. Joan Brossa, Teatre de Joan Brossa (Barcelona: Editorial RM, 1964). This volume contains Gran guinyol (Grand Guignol), Aquí al bosc (Here in the Wood), El bell lloc (The Beautiful Place), La jugada (The Game), La xarxa (The Net).

13. Jordi Coca, L'Agrupació Dramàtica de Barcelona. Un intent de teatre nacional català 1955–1963, Monografies de Teatre 9 (Barcelona: Institut del Teatre, 1978).

14. For a full evaluation of the reception of Brossa's theatre, see Eduard Planas, La poesia escènica de Joan Brossa, Colċlecció‘El pla de les comèdies’ no. 1 (Barcelona: AIET, 2002).

15. Mid-way through the 2005–2006 season, this space was converted into a centre dedicated entirely to dance. For further details, see Lourdes Orozco's article in this issue of CTR, 357–369.

16. Bonnín was director of the Institut del Teatre from 1970 to 1980, precisely the years when the foundations for the professionalisation of the Catalan theatre were laid. Later director of the Centre Dramàtic Nacional (predecessor of the TNC) from 1980 to 1990, he continues to be active as a director and driving force behind the Espai Escènic Joan Brossa.

17. As with Hamlet and The Tempest presented at the Lliure in July 2006 as part of the Grec Festival. Pasqual did return to the Lliure with a touring production of Sergi Belbel's Mòbil (Mobile) staged in Catalan in early 2007 but it was significantly panned by the critics.

18. See, for example, Anton Chekhov, Teatre Complet I i II, trans. Nina Avrova and Joan Casas (Barcelona: Institut del Teatre, 1998–99).