The brutality of facts
Total hours: 25 h
Contact: obrador@salabeckett.cat
I want a very ordered image, but I want it to come about by chance.
Francis Bacon
The idea for these five meetings is to work on the key materials of the stage event (space and gaze) in order to compose a scene. Although there will be training exercises, the focus this time will be on the composition, length and chance with tools to try to avoid cliché.
To achieve this, we will work based on some ideas developed by Francis Bacon in his dialogues with David Sylvester. Hence the title of the workshop.
Participants will have to bring their own text ― of no more than a page and no less than half a page ― learnt by heart, ideally in their original language.
And, as it is about composing a scene, on the last day we will share the last hour of improvisation with everyone interested in joining us, because there is no scene possible without an audience to give it meaning.
Bibliography suggested but in no case compulsory:
- SYLVESTER, David, Interviews with Francis Bacon. The Brutality of Fact (Thames and Hudson)
- DELEUZE, Gilles, Pintura: El concepto de Diagrama (Ed. Cactus, Serie: Clases)
- DELEUZE, Gilles, Francis Bacon: The Logic of Sensation (continuum)
Within the GREC 2024 Festival de Barcelona
Pablo Messiez is an actor, playwright and theatre director. Born in 1974 in Buenos Aires, since 2009 he has lived and worked in Madrid. Notable among his plays are Los ojos, Las canciones, Todo el tiempo del mundo and La voluntad de creer.
Apart from these plays, he has directed texts by Samuel Beckett, Federico García Lorca and Jean Genet, among others. In 2015 he received the Premio Max for directing La piedra oscura by Alberto Conejero for the Centro Dramático Nacional. In 2018 he was finalist of the Premios Valle-Inclán for his mise-en-scène for the play by Santiago Loza He nacido para verte sonreír for the Teatro de la Abadía. And this year, his production of La voluntad de creer has won the Premio Max and Premio Godot for the best play of the year, along with the Premio Godot for the best text. Moreover, he has been nominated for the best direction by the Asociación de Directores de Escena de España.
In December 2023 he premiered his play Los gestos, in coproduction with the Centro Dramático Nacional and Teatro Kamikaze.
Along with his work as a playwright and stage director, he has developed his teaching activity in several institutions such as the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, the Sala Beckett in Barcelona, the Universidad Menéndez Pelayo in Santander and the Centro Cultural Ricardo Rojas of the Universidad de Buenos Aires.
He has published Asymmetrical-Motion; Notas sobre pedagogía y movimiento ―coauthored with Lucas Condró―, Las palabras de las obras (compilation of some of his plays), El tiempo que estemos juntos, Las canciones, El texto infinito y La voluntad de creer, all released by Continta Me Tienes. This year the Centro Dramático Nacional will publish Los gestos.
Admission to the course will be based on order of arrival and CV assessment, which should be sent (with photograph included), filling in the form on the right.
Places on courses are limited. Places will be reserved once the course amount has been paid. Payment must be made within one week of receiving the corresponding acceptance email.
The dates indicated for each course or seminar may be subject to variations in exceptional circumstances. These will be notified when applicable.
For the course to take place, a minimum number of students must be registered. If this number is not reached, the course will be cancelled and the student will have the option of registering for a different course (providing that there are places available) or alternatively will receive a refund of the amount paid (100%). If a student withdraws, a refund of 75% of the registration fee will be applicable, providing that written notice is given at least 10 days before the start of the course.