Women like me

written and directed by: Pau Miró

Comedic portrayal of a whole generation of women who nearing their fifties in this world in crisis won't let themselves fall in the abysm

Synopsis

Pau Miró, one of the great voices of Catalan dramaturgy, started his trilogy talking to us about men who, once turning 60 years old, start to become irrelevant in our society (Els jugadors, The players). Then, Miró examined the hardships of the younger ones in a context of the current social and economical crisis (Un refugi indie, An indie hideaway). The closing piece was Dones com jo (Women like me) where women nearing their fifties are the protagonists.

The drama play with touches of dark comedy was brought to the theaters in 2014 by Àgata Roca, Mamen Duch, Marta Pérez and Carme Pla. They are a biologist working on a highway tollbooth, an unemployed architect, an archaeologist-turned-housecleaner and a teacher who was just let go from her job. They all have their own story but actually are going through very similar experiences and face the same difficulties. They all belong to a middle class disappearing as a consequence of the crisis which is pushing them to fight with their resilience and strength so as not the be taken away with it.

The plot starts when one of the women, the architect, decides to leave one night and not go back to her home, husband and son. She decides to move into a studio in the area of El Raval, a part of the city she barely even knows. There, she recluses herself in her new place where she eats pizza and watches TV all day long. Her good friends, who she met when she was a teenager and are the same age as her, won’t allow her hermit’s life plans. They constantly worry and console her, wanting her friend to get over what they think is a depression. But she is perfectly fine and conscious of what she is doing. What happened to her then? Why did she decide to leave her home? Will she leave that studio to get her past life back? She does not want to talk about it and it is exactly the lack of words that drive her friends to also ask themselves which lives they have. Indeed being a woman close to her fifties with a bunch of long forgotten dreams and too much common sense in a crisis context proves itself to be a tougher experience than they could have ever expected…

Alas, the four women will have to put aside all these doubts and queries when they unexpectedly find a bag in their friend’s little studio. Could it belong to the lawyer who lived in the studio before his sudden death? What could be inside it? Once opened, a story about feelings transforms itself into a narrative of action and suspense where generational comedy and intrigue meet and where even a choreography to the rhythm of Donna Summer is called for.

The piece revolves around the concept of friendship, a fitting theme since it makes the most out of the real friendship that has united all actresses involved for more than twenty years. Dones com jo also talks about the economical and social crisis affecting southern Europe and to be more precise about the longing of so many, including the spectators, for a hideout in an invisible dark corner until the storm passes by. Most importantly it shows us women who in their union find strength to face the pressure the world puts on them.

B as in Biography

The theater play premiered at Teatre Romea in Barcelona on the 23^rd of january 2014. It was met with an enthusiastic support that kept it going for almost 4 months. After that, the piece went on tour being shown around Catalonia and the Spanish state.

N as in Numbers

84 performances and was seen by a total of 35.000 people.

Credits

Actresses: Mamen Duch, Marta Pérez, Carme Pla and Àgata Roca

Cast stand-in: Montse German

Scenography and wardrobe: Alejandro Andújar
Lighting: Albert Faura
Sound: Roger Ábalos
Choreography: Robert G. Alonso
Executive producer: Daniel López-Orós

Scenography and wardrobe assistant: Adriana Parra
Production manager: Carmen Álvarez
Technical manager: Carles Borras
Stage props: Moli Mallo y Roman Ogg

Photography: David Ruano
Graphic design: Enric Jardí
Press: Sandra Costa
Web: Marc Permanyer
Texts: La Correccional

Produced by T de Teatre with the support of ICEC (Generalitat de Catalunya) and the collaboration of Teatre La Sala de Rubí..

We appreciate the collaboration of Alex Brendemühl and Joan Solé.

The show was premiered at Teatre Romea on January 23rd 2014.