 at the Martin E. Segal Theater Center, the Graduate Center Q and Midtown Manhattan, right in the heart and the center of New York city and perhaps still the great capital of theater in the U.S. and perhaps the most European city of the Americas and perhaps the most American of all European cities. So it's quite a mixture of a town city we all love to be in. But it had been shut down in the last year that came to a stand, something unheard of as did theater in the world. For the first time in the history of theater actually almost everything came to a still stand, nothing was opened. And even in the time of Shakespeare and the plague, the companies were able to perform outside London but in this time it did not happen. It is still all closed here, almost everything. You see the first opening small performances, 20, 30 people. Yesterday we had the Jack Alec Duffy with us and Brian from the chocolate factory who talked about how they are slowly reopening the spaces but so many questions are attached to this and the great Joe Malillo who we also would like to thank to today for that he has connected us to Francesca de Zeus who is with us here from Spain, from Barcelona, the great Greg Festival de Barcelona. Joe said, well, you know, still people have to be comfortable to come back. They have to be 80% at least of people in the seats and often they were tourists. They are people from outside, from Jersey, Connecticut, from regions that are outside from New York and from the world. And even if everybody is vaccinated here, we know when we come back and perhaps it will not be in September how the mayor declared in a press conference it will be perhaps even next year. The situation is changing rapidly in Corona. We feel we are out of the tunnel, that car that has been up in the air and seems to have landed somehow still on the four wheels but so many things are open and especially where are we driving to and that stuttering motor, will it be functioning again or will it overheat or even give up? It's working. For us, it's a very emotional day today. It's the last day of Segal talks focused on Corona. We started last March very early on as one of the few organizations we felt we do not show reruns of our own Segal events. We have five or six hundred of them. You can find them on our website. We felt we should encourage conversation but especially also a global conversation that's what we felt strongly to really find out how are people doing this? And Bogart said a knock at the door and to see how are you? What are you thinking about? What is this time telling us and to create meaning? It has always been artists who helped us to understand life better, to create meaning, to fight the right fights to be on the side of justice, set of the right course of history and artists have been doing this and they're in the present but very often also anticipate the future. And so many artists that actually the play we did before what we were working on, it is as almost as if we knew about what would be coming. The situation today is encouraging. It's a beautiful summer day here in New York. People are happy outside in the parks, on the food markets but in the world still it's complex. Even so Iceland completely removed all mask in Israel. Again, people are encouraged to put masks back on which was a little lab experiment. Everybody get vaccinated so fast in complete exchange for data with Pfizer and the Delta variant seems to be much, much stronger and many young people have not been vaccinated in Russia, it's a catastrophic situation. Also visitors from the European soccer championship are coming back with Corona cases in Brazil and Chile. It is still completely out of control. And the big question also is for us, what does it mean? Even if New York City 70% are vaccinated, still 30% are not, these are 3 million people. Much, much, many more people than even they have died worldwide from the coronavirus as we know and the new Delta virus is so strong, especially for young people who have not been on the list yet it doesn't care about age as much as the one before. So we are still worried about it. As the end of our Segal Talks, we will do a 24 hour marathon to raise awareness for the situation. In India, our theater colleagues who are up day and night in order to connect people, it is so apocalyptic Abhishek Majumba that is almost state sponsored murder. It is such a rich country, India. It did not prepare, it did not take into account what could happen and they have done so much work. There's have many theater artists around the world but this will be a thank you to all theater artists and to raise a bit of the awareness of even if we feel better here, there is still so much to do. Normally Francesca, we always say it's about listening and so I really apologize for talking so much and I'm a bit emotional since it's the last one of the formal Segal Talks. We will continue Segal Talks I think in another way maybe not focused on corona but still this is the last one and I think it's a great contribution to hear today from Europe, to hear from Spain, to hear from what's happening in the country where the Spanish is spoken. One of the world powers one could say also in theater that's a long tradition coming out of Jisuit's theater of course, Cervantes's first play and then of course that incredible rich tradition beyond the Golden Age. Also Barcelona, Madrid are such centers of theater that I think if I understand right there is a fluidity between theater and film, television. We have published many plays from Spain together with the Cervantes Institute and Ciro Manlul. So we are a bit familiar and also Latin American publications but if you're honest, we have to say we know very little what is really going on. There are not enough communication, there are not enough bridges and we hope this will be one of them. So today we have one of the great workers in the vineyard of a Spanish theater, Francesca, Carla de Souce who runs the Greg Festival or Greg Festival de Barcelona. We really honored to have you with us here and you happen to be our last guest so this is quite a significant statement. Also I think towards a Spanish theater, Spanish language. For our viewers, let me a little, tell me a little bit about Francesca in a moment but first of all, where are you? What time is it? Are you at home? Are you in the hospital? Are you in a theater? What's going on? Where are you? First of all, let me say hello to all my friends who I don't see since a very long time. I miss so much traveling around the world and meeting my colleagues and hello to everyone and thanks for organizing these theater commons where we can share our ideas, our hopes, our visions for the future. I'm right now at my office. I'm about to leave like after this talk because I'm going to a general rehearsal. We're opening the festival tomorrow. My office is at Ramblas in Barcelona, right at the heart of Barcelona in the palace of the 17th century and next to, for some of you who know Barcelona, La Boqueria Market. So that's where I am looking through the window. I see the Ramblas. Incredible and they are so beautiful. They're so famous. If you ever make up your mind where to go in Europe, please do visit Barcelona. So that's incredible. I know you told us, Frank, thanks for the invitation. I'm working so hard. They are opening tomorrow, one of the major festivals in Europe. Tell us a little bit about your festival. Well, the festival I'm running now is the big festival of Barcelona. It's a festival that the name is a bit funny. It's called Greek Festival because the heart of the festival is a Greek theater but it's a fake Greek theater. It was built in 1929, but it's a copy of Epidauros. So it's like outdoor, round theater of more than 2,000 people that we use as the central venue for the festival. But we are taking about 50 venues in the city. So we will present about 150 performances in five weeks. Incredible. So, and how old is the Greek theater, the structure itself? The structure is from 1929. It was built for a world exhibition that took place in Barcelona in 1929. So it was like in an area, in an area of town where there's all their buildings, all the theaters, palaces and it's what we call the city of theater in Barcelona. There's several places, which means that for the festival we can walk from one venue to another and see several performances in the same day. Incredible. And we spoke to Teata de Welt in Germany to the Edinburgh Festival. They actually had to create outdoor spaces kind of in the style of a Greek theater. You have that in even with 2,000 seats. That's incredible. They have seats between 300, 400 to 900 and depending on the numbers, the social distance thing, they can adjust the audiences. So quite interesting that what your festival is named after is actually about what we talk about. Theater also outside in the open air going back to the roots to that whatever the idea. Yeah. We're trying to connect with other festivals in the Mediterranean. So trying to create a network with other Greek or Roman theaters, ancient theaters and we're trying to collaborate. It's a new initiative. Wonderful. So for all of us, and I also have to know, I did not know about Francesca. So Marche, he is very passionate. He says in his Bayer-Bott culture, reading, which is important. And he's committed to associations and with great curiosity to know about other ways to look at the world. He studied psychology in Barcelona. So like so many directors, Karl Serebrennikov, he was one of those who did not study theater, theater. He came from the sciences, towards the theater. And I think there is something important about that. And he combined it with classics and he studied then at the Institute of Teatro and later graduated in Amsterdam. And after his masters, he studied cultural management and the production of shows for the Digira company and the management of the Institute of Cultura de Vic. And he was programming Teatro Atlantida, if I said right, at the Museo de la Contemporane, the Contemporary Art Museum. And I would guess in Barcelona. Yeah, some people say that I've gone through a very funny like a trajectory because I started like, when I went into cultural management, first I did production in musicals, like I was responsible for Chicago in Spain. Then I did work in a small city of 30,000 people where I was running the theater. Later on I worked for the Museum of Contemporary Art and later on Dance House of Spain. I was there founding and directing the Dance House of Spain and then now at the theater festival. So I've been kind of, my curiosity has driven me through different places in the world of culture, not only theater. Which is important and the Mercatilis Flores is the Casa del Danza that is the festival, the dance house you created and you have to tell us a bit more. So how is this situation in Spain at the moment? Since you are opening tomorrow, I guess it seems better than here in the U.S., but tell us a little bit. How is it today? Well, let's be optimistic. Let's bring some light to this darkness. Here the situation is regarding the virus is let's say under control more or less. So now we are vaccinating like under 30. So about more than 50% of the people is fully vaccinated. 50, 50. Yeah, 50. And people feels safe in a way and people is hungry for going out and have a great weather, terraces and so on. So the energy is very, very positive. You have to know that we never close the theaters. Spain has been the only country, I think, or maybe one of the only that never closed the theaters during this pandemic. So last summer in July, our festival was the first one to open in Europe of this kind. So we could celebrate the festival even last year with a big effort. Outside or also inside? Also inside, outside and inside. Full capacity? No, of course not, but with different kind of precautions and controls and so on. But nevertheless, we could make the festival and we opened last year in the first of July with 30% of the capacity, but the festival happened. And after that, because we created all the protocols, these protocols have been shared with other festivals. There's been other festivals in Europe but not of this kind. We presented about 50 or 60 performances last year with 30% of the audience with new protocols. But nevertheless, the festival happened. It was very important. At a certain point in last July, middle of July, there was a moment where the number of cases was rising. So, and the people went out to the street to claim for culture. I mean, there was a big demonstration. People wanted the festival to continue. They were in front of the theater saying, open the theater, please, we need culture. And since then, the theaters have been open in Spain. So now we are celebrating the festival this year again, of course, this year instead of 30%, we will have 70% of the capacity. The masks will be not compulsory from tomorrow on in Spain, in the streets, but you have to wear the masks in the theater if you cannot keep a distance of 1.5 meters. But they're not compulsory. Tomorrow will be the last day, officially, if nothing happens. Incredible, a good timing with your festival. So let me get that right. People went on the street with signs and went in front of the stairs and said, we want culture, we need culture. And incredibly, it's so different than from France and what we had also a country with such a great tradition where alcohol stores were open and it all stayed. But you couldn't get into a bookstore and all the theaters were closed. Meemal churches, it all had no restrictions and their singing took place. So, and the cultural sector was very upset but I didn't hear of any demonstrations. So how many people were there? Were you part of that? Were they theater people, theater artists or were they the people of Barcelona? It's hard to say, but I mean, as I said, we had a very strong movement here because of course, we closed the theaters in March, April, May, we kept trying and changing and adapting and changing the program. And we were always positive that we would make the festival happen. We had different plans, ABC, like most of you, most of our colleagues were trying to save as much as possible. But there was a moment where we created a working group with the politicians, the people from the health department, the people from the private sector, the people from the public sector and we all agreed on a certain protocols to reopen the theaters. We did some tryouts. And in the first of July, we opened the theaters. So everything was working fine. There were no cases. We could prove that the cases were not happening in the theaters with the masks, with so on and so on. But there was a moment around the 15th of July last year when after two weeks of the festival, that the number of cases was rising. And then finally, the authorities decided, okay, we have to close the festival. And at that point, the people were going to the street because you could see the rushes were full, the beach was full of people. Why not in the theater where you have your number, your seat, your mask and everything? And thanks to the people, we could remain open. And as I said, I think that was the key because in September, the theaters were allowed to open again. And there were only two weeks in November when we had to close again. But since then, they have been open at 30% of the capacity, most of the year at 50% and now since one month at 70%. Incredible. Is this the same trip or Madrid or Sevilla or other cities? So is something special happening in Barcelona that people talk to each other? In Barcelona, we were like the first ones and the first festival of this kind, but there were other festivals in the summer last year, like the Merida Festival, like Catruz del Canal in Madrid, there were others. And basically, they have been all of them open throughout the year. With some exceptions when the number of cases was rising in some parts or some town, but generally speaking, the whole theaters have been open in all of Spain. Incredible. We are thinking in some way and of course we are a splinter group, but hopefully we will get together. There has to be a festival also in New York City, the Avignon Festival, the Edinburgh Festival, so many opened after World War II, after crisis, after people were starving also to go out and see something like the protestors in Barcelona demanded. We hope we might get this done here. Tell us a bit, what does the festival mean for the city of Barcelona? Is that part of the identity? Is it, how long has it been going on? What is working well? Well, some people are trying to compare festivals. Some people, I mean, we are playing or we are collaborating with all these festivals that you mentioned. We collaborate with Avignon, we collaborate with Edinburgh. They are festivals of the more or less the same size as we have, but I don't think we can compare. Festival has to be unique. Festival has to be something unique for a city and has to be, my idea is, festival has to be part of a system of the system of theater. Like it doesn't, for me, it's important to connect the festival, which is a moment of stress, a moment of brightness, a moment of excitement. It has to be connected with what is happening in the city the rest of the year. So festival has to have this moment of visibility for some of the artists that work throughout the year. It has to have a moment of stimulation, bringing new names, new ideas, new artists. It has to have a moment of sharing with communities. It has to have a moment of excitement in a way of stress, but it has to be unique. So I don't know what kind of festival New York needs, because New York is a fantastic city. Of course I'm not capable to define what is the moment of a festival if New York needs a festival. But what is, for me, very important is that it belongs to the city. In my case, the project I'm trying to run as a festival of Barcelona, it's a festival that's now, this year it's a 45th edition. I'm trying that it's unique to the city. With a festival I try to discover new places, open the eyes of new ways of looking at the city, artists that bring different angles of what you see during the year that you can discover the city with new eyes. I think festivals are important if they are connected to the city. To the fabric of it. So I'm going to start. So it's in the mid-80s, I guess, or the early 80s? 76. 76. 76. It was this, well, similar history as Avignon as these other European festivals. There was, in our case, with the difference that we still have, we still had a dictator at that time, Franco was still alive. So there was a mixture of desire to change the world in a way, desire to change also our world, where we lived in after the dictatorship. It was also, in our case, the story is very peculiar because it was an occupation. This theater already existed, but it was an occupation by the, by some of the artists. I said, well, we need to watch. The Greek theater? They took it over? Yeah. Which theater? Sorry, which theater was occupied? The Greek theater. The outdoor, the 2000 seat, was like it was a fence around it, where they laid dormant for... They jumped over the fence, they occupied the theater, and they celebrate like a four-days festival with all kinds of performances, music, celebration, and it was programmed by, like a kind of association of artists that did the program of that first edition in 76. Franco was alive? Or was he already, you know, he had that unconscious moment of unconsciousness? How many years before was this? Well, Franco died in 7 to 7. So it was one year before, but everything was like in a very, very, like there was hunger for democracy in Spain at the time, and particularly in Barcelona. Yeah, I remember I was in Barcelona and Madrid shortly after that. You took a subway, everybody was reading. Everybody had a book in their hands. I had never seen that in my life. That's why the festival... And the energy of the streets, yeah. That's why the festival is very, very connected with the people here. And that's why it's very important. It's a festival that most of the audience is local. So when I look at the people, like 80%, 90% of the audience is from Barcelona. It's a very, very special thing to do in the summer night, go to this theater. It's like on top of the hill. So actually you see the sunset, the lights of the city shining. It's very, very beautiful, very special. Everybody that lives in Barcelona loves this festival. I think why it's so important. I'm so honored to be now at the head of it. And how important also to keep it running and alive. What were the, if I may ask, what were the first performances? Were they music groups or Greek plays or was it political agit-prop? What was? In 76. Well, actually, I mean, on our website there's the archive. You can see the whole program like since 76 till up to now. It was a moment where there was like a lot of groups that were creating like in community. There was great painters. I don't know if I give you names, if they tell anything or not, but there was a moment of creation in community, which was for me the base of some of the big companies that came out of Barcelona later on, like during the Olympic times, for example. The Comedians, Favore del Bau, all these people have seen it. They were there in the 76, for example. One of the names that you mentioned. Yes. So that was in the mix between cultural, cultural, like popular culture, popular music. Of course, there were like a big influence of folk music from the U.S. For example, like Woodstock concerts, this kind of energy. That was the beginning of our festival until now. Incredible. So when you took it over, what was your vision? What did you say? I think this is what we should bring in. How many years have you done it now? And when you took it over, what did you change? This will be starting tomorrow, my fifth edition of the festival. For me, I've been working on maybe like one idea for me, it's very important is to promote creativity. Like I really, really care about creation and about talent. So I like to engage with local talent and help local talent to develop. And I really like the idea that festival connects with all city sense. Not only the ones, the theater goers, but also the different people that lives in the city today. So I'm working that the festival is not like elitist in a way that embraces all types of people, all types of audience. At the same time, that I want to bring the highest quality artists that I can afford, especially new languages and especially new voices. So more or less these are. And it's not easy because it's not only the great theater. As I said, we're having about 45 different venues in the festival. I'm creating a fantastic project also with museums, which are now involved in the festival, which they were not before. So there was a lot of participatory projects or installations in different museums in the city. So I want that the festival reflects Barcelona with the creativity of Barcelona, with the different kind of people that lives in it. And that brings new voices around the world that can help us change or be updated and hear the most advanced voices in the artistic world in the world. Yeah, incredible. We had, you know, at our Segal Center, I think at Benet E. Jornet came and Jackie Belbel and Cognier and many, many, and others are such a lively scene that somehow has never connected as strongly as perhaps as the French or the UK theater and to the U.S. What do you think makes it special? Why is Barcelona, at least to our eyes, you know, we see more signals are coming from Barcelona than from Madrid? What is special in that city? For me, creativity, that's what I believe. Barcelona is creativity. Barcelona is a creative city and it has no fear of the new. I think that's what has made Barcelona great and it's always open to new voices. I think people are hungry for being stimulated with new ideas, new voices, mixtures. Here it's very easy to see an artist from one discipline that works with another discipline. As an example, for example, I've been working a lot with Flamenco and contemporary Flamenco artists, they come to Barcelona to develop new ideas, which they cannot do in other parts of Spain. For me, this is an example. It's like a city that is vibrant. There's a lot of energy, there's a lot of creativity and people respect that, like that and support it. I think that's how I like to see the city. Tell us about the 50 or 60 place that there cannot be 50. Are there 60 theaters really or do you have places that normally are not theaters you use for the festival and tell us a bit about the big stages and small stages. How are they constructed? Generally speaking, the festival has different centers. There's one center where the great theater is and there's like this 2006 theater, but next to it there's venues, there's like six venues with different capacities. Teatre lliure, which has 800 seats, Mercat de las Flos, which has 500, and some smaller venues. That's the heart of the festival. We call it Monjuic, which is the mountain that is the heart of the great theater. Then we have city theaters, the National Theater of Barcelona. Then we have theaters, which we call it private, which normally we work with them in the system of co-production, but nevertheless they participate on the idea of the festival. We agree on the project we present. There's a network of small theaters of around 100 seats. There's about 15 of them that we present works on these 15 venues of 100. There's then the network of museums. This year we have 10 museums that participate in the festival, like Center for Contemporary Culture, Museum of Contemporary Art, National Museum of Art, more or less these museums, and then on top of that, the last of these centers is a structure that we have of what we call factories for creation. Barcelona has 12 factories for creation. Each one of them is specialized in one art. There's one factory for circus, one factory for visual arts, one factory for writing, for theater, and each of them participate not only presenting artists, but also with creative residents where the artists can develop work. Factory means there is a old industrial space reused for a creation of a social fantasy of imagination. Correct. And then we have the parallel activities with the civic centers or with the libraries throughout the city. They do different kinds of talks and other activities. Wow, it sounds so fantastic. I have to comment. I think everybody should go out. And we have a big square in the center with restaurants and wine and food, which is a very big part of our culture is the meeting point. So right down the Gregg Theater, there's a big square where there's always a terrace where you can go have a drink and meet the people that are going from one place to another, which is a big part of the festival, this social event, social meeting. So you see audience members, of course, yes, of course, which this year is a bit less alive as it used to be because we have distances and so on and so on. But I hope it still will be magic. The summer nights are magic in that square. It's really, it's the celebration of life, of the truth, of art, but also of a city and a way to engage in life and nothing against sports events. We also like them, but this is something that perhaps is better able to reflect the complexities of the world we live in and at what you also wrote in your bio, which I like, writing with the first sentence, how to look at this world in a new or different way that your work is all about this and this is what we have to do now. Surya Branikov, when he was born, we have to start a new based on our experience, but we have to have a new start. Nila Rao says we have to question everything. We have to go back to the drawing board. How was it for you in that time you had also, I guess, perhaps a bit more time in your beautiful office in the 17th century palace? Where did I guess build on the time of Versailles and the great Spanish kings? Now we have the wonderful civil ceremonies which I think is an important point to make that it is no longer the pomp and circumstances of the royal court or of dictators that now in the center of a big European city like Barcelona, the celebration is art. It's a fantastic moment I think also in history of mankind and what you are contributing to. But what do you feel will be different or will you say actually for us we want to continue because we were already on the right path. Are there changes after the time of corona for your festival? Well, I've had several discussions on that topic like what will change after corona times. And I really I think we don't know, but something deep has changed in our minds. And everyone has to take responsibility for changing the things that have to be done better. For me in I feel a big responsibility I'm running a festival which has public money. So for me the responsibility of helping the artists or even changing the idea I have to see what is important. We have to be very aware of what matters what matters to us what matters to the world and we have to keep that in mind and forget about our our urgencies, our daily urgencies. So what is important, what matters for me as a festival as I said for me what matters is the responsibility we have towards an audience. Well, last year we made a festival and every day several times a day I was receiving thank you, thank you, thank you from people in the audience that I don't know. Thank you for making the festival happen. Thank you for making the festival happen. I was really touched by these people that were so grateful that culture was helping them in these moments of darkness. So I could feel that culture was important to people, that culture matters people. I think that's something very deep that I never felt before in my professional life, that culture is important, that culture helps that culture matters, culture brings hopes, visions ideas can help you reimagine the future in and hoping in a very positive way. So I think this idea that culture is important for me is something that I take from last year experience how I would like to change the world I think that's more intellectual I have to go deeper into myself and think what matters to me, what is important to me, what do you want the want to give up also these days for example we have closed our borders we've been talking very much with people around us, I think internationalization is very important talking to you new ideas, things that I don't understand talking to people that do not think the same as you think these kind of things they are important to me because otherwise I become smaller I think we have to think big, we have to think in a very optimistic world and what happened with the vaccines is amazing, I mean it's just one year so we have to be optimistic about humankind and take that as a tool to change the world in a better way I think that's what theater does, what theater does what culture can do and we are responsible for taking this great big energy forward Are you detecting within the artists of Spain or Barcelona I don't know how international, most probably it's also a very international festival but are you detecting a change in themes, in ways of producing or in style Aesthetics? Are you noticing something? It's a bit too soon, like for example last year what I detected was a great energy, people really wanted to create, people really wanted to work now we are detecting the moment of people going back to the stages, this energy of ok here I am back again the quality of the performances that we presented last year was extraordinary, people went very very deep into themselves in the quality in what they wanted to say at this moment I detected very creative and positive energy but I don't know, this also depends on other elements like conditions to create it's a bit I mean it's not a very good situation for a lot of companies artists that could not perform that could not make their money so there might be a moment of depression soon there might be a moment of weakness for our cultural sector that's why we have to fight harder than before because culture is important and we have to fight for it if the artists are going to change in what they want to say I hope no, I think artists have to have the freedom to talk about everything I don't want next season all performances talking about corona I think artists have to be free to talk about what they want to talk and to have to be I mean open to any new ideas we have to be as directors more aware of I mean no issues like sustainability future I detect also like with my colleagues in Europe it's maybe a moment for sharing more than before for we have to forget about premieres or European premieres we have to talk about collaboration networks creating together making the best for the artists and creating the best conditions to work hmm so in a way global issues or whatever are perhaps a bit more like the environment global warming and here in America of course racism is on the the white supremacy as it was being used now as a time when we made us really think about more about what we do also the capitalistic system which is perhaps a bit more more naked cruel in the America then in Spain so these are themes that seem to come up with more socially political engaged art here I have topics every year in the festival because as I said I want the festival to talk about the issues that matter to people that are important to people in the society and you can touch them in a very superficial way or in a deeper way for example this year our festival this year is dedicated to Africa in a way I created a my project has been like a tour around the world so I dedicated one festival to the Mediterranean one year to the silk ropes and to the Anglo-Saxon world collaborating with institutions like Bami New York or like Maryland festival last year the Latin America was in our focus and this year Africa so the topic of Africa of black people black lives matter is very present because I put that on the table maybe it was not on the table before but I put that on the table because it's a global issue and I'm this year I'm looking very much at the Africa we can see in Barcelona Barcelona is I mean we are not far from Africa actually Morocco is around the corner it's half an hour or an hour flight from here so we receive a lot of people from Africa from North Africa it's a big topic it's a big issue and that's our opening tomorrow for the first time I put on stage actors from like Arab countries talking about their stories about their lives about their trip between Morocco and Spain this crossing the fences of Europe and I think this is important for us to talk about because we want to do things in a different way maybe tell us a little bit I mean it's an idea it's easy to say you know also funders say yes but you are someone who then has to put it into a reality on the stages how did you proceed what did you select companies how did you invite people how does it how is it going to look like is it in the factories exchange of ideas the public places or do you produce plays tell us a bit how did you how would one say you implement that how did you do it creating a festival is a long process of listening which you don't it's not like going to the supermarket and shopping it's different of course you can create a festival putting one performance after the other but for me it's much deeper than that of course you want to have names that need to be seen that your thing need to be seen because you have to imagine also what is important what can change people's minds but it's not like a shopping basket in our case for example this year that I wanted to put Africa in focus I bring only artists from Africa like that it's not enough for me it was a need to look at the Africa that we have in Barcelona to talk to the different artists from African roots that live here to talk to them to listen to them to see what is important to them to look at the artists that work locally and to see what to imagine what was the needs what needed to be changed in this case this year in particular because Africa is also a big continent and it's not so easy also to bring artists from Africa especially this year we do have some but it's not easy what we are doing is a lot of workshops we are bringing artists that are creating in Barcelona with artists from Barcelona and we are trying to have them for a longer period of time create deeper connections with the city and with the artists from the city or with the citizens so that's been in my mind like I cannot do a festival dedicated to Africa and just bring in people with an airplane and leaving the city so I'm trying to have them for a longer period of time I'm trying to create connections with local artists I'm trying to create workshops and develop some different types of of I would say at the same time I'm trying to embrace local artists that have these roots and put them in the program maybe at different level then maybe you create the main platform of the festival but you also create other platforms where these artists can be seen and have their voice and their space in the big frame of the festival so it's a bit of a combination of different international local artists but I think the main issue for me the one that starts the whole thing is listening listening to what's happening internationally listening to what's happening locally and trying to combine the different voices I don't know if I'm clear No, that's important I think also to say it's no longer the kind of ghetto tourism in a way what we criticize in the tourism industry you fly into a resort and then you fly out but you haven't seen anything of the country where the clichés have been reinforced and I think now we also see that here the demands that maybe artists should stay longer, maybe they should engage but you are already doing that and then you share an end of a workshop like people are invited or do they present a dance, a music concert that you have commissioned or is it on a process workshop level Well I have to give you different examples because it's very different but for example I'm waiting now for a phone call I'm waiting for a company from Mali to Yodakali with Kronos Quartet they did a couple of CDs with Kronos Quartet and they are flying from Mali to Barcelona they will stay here for a couple of weeks they will do workshops I make a collaboration with the festival of people with mental problems they will be doing a workshop there they will offer like an open African meal to all the neighbors they will do workshops for families with rhythms they will invite and rehearse with local artists with String Quartet because we couldn't bring Kronos this year they were here a couple of years ago they will do some of the repertoire with local String Quartet and they will sing three songs from different singers from Barcelona from Saharawe from Guinea and some other musicians so in total this will be our program our music program String Quartet and local musicians with African goods that's an example and they will be here for one and a half weeks almost two weeks and then they will continue their European tour for example actually working in Chicago and Kudus has a festival in Lagos in Nigeria and he will be here also for two weeks and we did like an open call with artists from different disciplines photographers, architects, musicians, dancers and they will be all together for two weeks in a residency space and they will create a performance of six hours length free in the street and they will do something similar now in Lagos which is like they close the main street in Lagos and they do a performance two or three days in the streets of Lagos and I think they are doing it this year in Lagos, Chicago and Barcelona so that's an example of how artists are global and how the models can be translated in a way or another this is a way for me a different way of working then of course at the same time Kudus is presenting his work on a different platform and he will bring his work so we see his work but we also see his way of working and he will bring us like new perspectives, new ideas from Africa to the local artists these are two examples I think of what they wanted to say then of course we also bring artists that present work and live like we have Dimitris Papayonou for example from Greece who we co-produced and we are sharing like Mjoln, Holland Festival etc that also are important to us but with them we have a longer relationship that they are coming from now and then an artist from Africa is exceptional, that's where we are concentrated on African artists on this type of work but European artists are easier for us to have around how fantastic and in a way it sounds this is something only a festival can produce such a production major attention I think in the normal repertoire like in the New York season it will be one of many things but what you do is When Bronos came here in 2019 I think 20 I can't remember they also did a workshop they worked with the School of Music they were here for more than a week they created something that you have to leave traces it's not fireworks you have to leave traces if possible positive traces it's like food for the rest of the year in a way incredible and then also in that neighborhood people who saw the you said so many actually are from Barcelona of the audience they see each other all year they come back, they meet families they go shop or teach students teachers what a great contribution you know to create a moment that people experience together and create in a way a history and also then an identity because they say well it happened you know on that street in that theater and this is I was there so it is the city is part of me tell a little bit because you mention that you know it will be on the street it will be in the square it will be in the neighborhood tell us how does the outside figure in your festival here many not only because of Corona but there is a big a push also to think about clear you know maybe it's no longer okay to have it just inside the walls of the theater we have to be outside and also to reach people and the audiences there was a we had two curators from Berlin in the time of Corona they created balcony this was called the balconies the balcony artists created work on their balconies with our music installations pieces you know but we can people walked around in their masks with these things and they said how come we haven't done something like this before so what role does the outside play in the Barcelona festival in our case we it's not very big we don't do a lot of street theater which we do in other festivals in the city especially in the fiesta of the city which is in September so we are mostly doing work for like theater spaces or venues I mean I don't know if your question is more like about protocols or how we do it in the types of Corona you said if I answered right they were presented in the street some of the some of the results of the workshops meals are shared so about at the moment we still we still using protocols like we still I mean it's been a time where we had to use chairs so everybody was using a chair 1.5 meter distance and so on and so on so it was not possible to have like people in the street and just watching the show so we had to create spaces where people there was an entrance and an exit and chairs of like 1.5 meter distance now it's different now we still creating like spaces where people enter so we can count how many people are in that space but it's not necessary any longer to have seats people can stand as long as they are not like going together and concentrating in one spot but and they can even from tomorrow on not use the mask if they are at more than 1.5 meter distance but right now we are only counting the people on a certain area so there's not other protocol than that although as I said we are not a street theater festival we have seen lots of initiatives there's been lots of initiatives throughout the year terraces balconies parcours all kind of stuff for me I do believe that theater needs a certain space I mean now we need people we want to we want to be part of a group with people around so I think we are trying to do that in the festival this year maybe in the future it's different but now I think this sense of being part of together being some part of a bigger group is important to us because we've been insulated for so long that we need to see people around even if it's at 1 meter distance yeah and also I guess in theater the director can say light down, light up if you want that it rains you can make it rain but you are not subject to the forces of nature and light tell me a bit about that festival you also traded earlier it's called the folk festival what was that about that's part of my very very old history well I don't know I grew up in the Piranes in a small city between Spain and France and very soon I was engaged with culture in that city and well maybe that comes my engagement with the city with the people comes from that experience of growing in a small town but I've been working a lot with popular culture followers all kinds of popular culture mass events things like that which something I think quite Mediterranean in a way but well I had a great time when I was working there making big paellas for 2,000 people all kinds of stuff so I think it's part of our culture also yeah and I think it's also something to really keep in mind or to be reminded of traditions or folk traditions and outside the centers that we have to take serious pay attention to and because they create also what we hope often to create as a result from aesthetic production the big cities and they can make a sense of uniqueness for example if you look at Gaudi for example Gaudi's work they are like the architect Gaudi is fantastic he's eating very very much from artisans from good artisans from people that come from the tradition of making good or making iron so I think listening to tradition but bringing it to a new level for me I could not do now anymore like a traditional festival I'm more like contemporary arts are needed to move forward but never forget about where you come from this is one phrase that Peter Brook told me once we were having a dinner a few years ago and Peter Brook told me that never forget your roots even if you are doing contemporary work never forget where you come from and I think I'm trying to keep that in mind Peter Brook is coming here next week he is hosting we are presenting his latest work The Tempest and the 96 year old and he's coming here next week incredible fantastic and also his daughter is now a successful important director what a great family what inspires you not only in that time of corona but as a festival director as a curator what do you look for for inspirations what work of colleagues curated festivals but also music books film where do you get your inspiration to see things different I would say conversations conversations and talks and talks to different type of people I like very much to listen to talk to people when I go to like a platform or event or a festival I'm looking for three things one thing very important to me is like discover an artist that I've never heard about and it's like the voice that wow there's something there I'm looking for a good conversation with intelligent people intelligent person and a good meal I think these three things are my three moments of inspiration a good meal, a good conversation and an artist that surprises me well this is quite quite it sounds so simple but still not so easy to get together and will you stay with the festival for the next five years do we have other plans for the next year what's on your mind always one wave ahead I know you're surfing the one I'm starting tomorrow everyone walks ahead already so what's on your head right now because I I was selected through an open call on a five years project that has been prolonged for now two years more so I will be doing the festival 22-23 maybe 24 and now there's going to be elections in the city and we'll see because I depend on the mayor of Barcelona which is Ada Colau you heard of and she was very very supportive last year and I mean she's really she's really supportive she was very important she was brave enough to say go ahead with the festival last year quite a decision yeah for a politician yes it's easier to say no no no culture is not important stay at home she was brave enough to say go ahead I've seen your plans I've seen your project I think we have the yes from the healthy authorities go ahead and we did and I think that's something quite rare for a politician yeah and I'm quite happy and Paris didn't do it even so statistics very clearly said was enough social distancing in large spaces like theaters infections risk out the lowest of all it is actually restaurants with no air condition office spaces at churches with singing and others you know that theaters itself I was very nervous I have to say that I didn't sleep for a few weeks because I wasn't sure I mean if this would work or not we were the first ones so it was it was a moment of I mean certainly very difficult because we we didn't know you don't want to feel responsible for a case of of corona in many people but it worked it was it was safe and I'm quite now happy that we could do it but the moment of taking decision was not so easy and you did it better than the city of Paris and and also at very late they did open some some of those theaters but then they said you have to be back home at eight or nine o'clock you know by curfew so it was impossible actually to go through and but especially the scandal of saying you know bookshops have to be close alcohol stores are open no control at all in churches my theaters not even 20% were allowed in it was difficult to see yeah but it was not defense but also you know to say what is our idea about and I like to hear that you said it gave you back your belief that culture is of significance you know gratitude people showed and also that they went out demonstrating for that never heard that in all of our 160 talks now so they never heard of the time of corona that people went out demonstrating to have theaters open I did not hear that I did well I have to say it wasn't it was a delicate moment because we we I mean that night we had a company that you probably know peeping Tom was to perform at the we didn't have the permission to open the theater it was seven o'clock we didn't have the permission was eight o'clock we didn't have the permission I told them be ready be ready because we're going to do it and at eight o'clock people started gathering in front of the theater saying we want to enter we want to enter and we let people in and then we've got the permission to do it well after ten but we we started the show with it was very very special because all the shows last year started with an applause before the show there was an applause before the show every night people were like doing an applause for like yes here we are culture is happening festivals happening it was amazing well this is as you said in the very beginning there's just some good news some optimistic news and that you created something in Barcelona and you helped to keep it alive and in a important moment that really contributes you know to the experience of being human on planet earth and one of the great things actually you can see you know and the experience with your eyes and your doubt see moments on stage and something developing a Tania Bruguera the great Cuban artist said I did so many installations people come look for a moment and then they go to the next gallery things but in the theater people sit down for two hours to watch a play they already know and they're interested in it how are the choices how did they do it what's different you know how incredible how beautiful and you learn something new question you know things perhaps for your own life your family your city your states and for the world itself so it is great normally at this moment I announced the program for next week we won't because this is officially the part of the corona talks and we had to cancel our entire season last March to June so we this came out of that moment of doing something feeling that it was important to listen how artists are doing to feel connected but also to they maybe get some help to they feel that we are not alone but also how to deal with the situation has been incredible journey for us again on July 20 as we will have a 24 hour thank you to also your artists around the world who helped to make this a better place like you I hope you will join us with some readings for our Indian colleague you know you made a difference in your town and to the life of so many and had to make courageous choices and stand up for something so it's a big inspirational moment I think for all of us and also shows that things will go on the big question is how will it go on yesterday Alec Duffy and Brian here said you know the city should invest like in small stores up get $50,000 to perhaps your community from Africa and say then start a theater let's run it for three years and see the rent at least is paid see what comes out perhaps have you know very small groups do something on the big stages and that this will happen and then have residencies perhaps also multi-year residencies so artists can create or not create and do research and so so many things are changing have already changed perhaps we are too close to really see what has happened and only in 10-20 years from now we will really understand this moment but for this hour now for this day you helped us to make sense and the world seems like a good place so really thank you for that and I wish I could be with you tomorrow on the Ramblas of Barcelona and have a glass of wine congratulation what a great thing and for us who don't have that here in the city you know it means so much more to know it's out there that perhaps it is something we can all work to again thank you to Hullround for having being such a good partner for over 160 talks we had over 200 artists from over 50 countries speaking us I think it was a meaningful contribution in this time hopefully it cut through also a little bit you know so that big questions we all have on our minds and we are still learning and I think what you said became even more important it's all about listening and I think this is what that series was about we called it also radical listening you know to really have also space and time and life you know normally interviews are edited three hours but you know into one or two pages and then two PR agents and editors go back and forth and then something is published this was a very honest open series and perhaps different because of it and people performed in a way themselves and showed where they are very honest so it's been a tremendous privilege and we will actually continue this this radically changed the work and the mission also of us the Segal Center and we will do continue the Segal talk but no longer just on Corona but perhaps with themes so we stay connected with the global world and we don't have to fly someone in I mean when Sergey Bebel came in we have to say yes to come but this is the time and can you be here we did the reading you know but now we understand maybe we could have also had him on the phone and put that money towards a small production who knows you know so a lot of things will be different so we would like to thank all the artists involved all the curators all the thinkers and academics who participate with us and the listeners for being such a loyal crowd we got also a lot of males how important that series has been it's something between 60 and 100,000 people we think listen to all our talks a month one time even for the first we had 5-6,000 people listening incredible numbers for a small center where we normally have 60-70 people the house is full of it we were praying for it when we had discussions so something has happened and it has been very meaningful for us and I hope it also gave an inspiration to everybody who listened to how around again for hosting us Vijay and Thea and Andy Lerner here from the Seedle Center so it's been a great privilege so I would like to thank everybody I hope you can join us on July 20th we're going to do a 24-hour closing day of the Seedle talks celebrating the work of all theater artists around the globe who made a difference and but especially also raising awareness of what's happening in India where our theater colleagues are the most apocalyptic moments of their lives and of the state right now they are fighting for their lives and what they do is truly exceptional and heroic so thank you so much and I can believe that you took the time out day before the opening but I think it's a great end note and for us we're lucky we didn't get the call even so we would have had permission to call to Martin with the artist from Mali and we could have listened in and so really thank you so much and all the best for the festival and I hope we will have also connections here to New York bye bye and thank you to everybody, thank you