Àlias Serrallonga is a one-act story/legend dealing with the 17th century Catalan outlaw Don Joan de Serrallonga. It is a mime and pantomime production with text, dances and popular songs. The action is set:

• On the stage, a small practice stage with sets representing salons and gardens.
• In the stalls, on two platforms resting on the seats, one with a 5m tall tower up which the outlaws clamber.

 

Joan Sala, "alias" Serrallonga.

Born in a large farmhouse ' La Sala' in Viladrau (Montseny) in the year 1594.

During the period in which Serrallonga lived, Spain was ruled by Phillip IV, from the House of Asturias, under the dominant influence of El Conde-Duque de Olivares. Catalonia, governed by different viceroys who were placed and controlled by the king, was undergoing a difficult period despite the flow of gold from the Americas, which passed through the country on its way to Genevan banks to finance the battle for prestige between Italy and Flanders. Poverty, plague, hunger and discontent were the order of the day.

The phenomenon of banditry, a product of the times, won't let the viceroys rest and they retaliate brutally with a bloody repression which eventually culminates in the famous revolution of the 'Segadores' on the day of Corpus in 1640.

Joan Sala, till then a simple peasant from Viladrau, marries the 24 year old pubilla (an unmarried heiress) Margarida Serrallonga and goes to live in the masia named after his wife in the heart of the Guilleries, inhospitable country ideal for hideouts.

Serrallonga, after a few scrapes with the law, throws himself into the life of the outlaws, whose indisputable head he becomes for the next seven years. He captains a pack of bandits with whom he manages to escape all manner of pursuits, being peasants they know the countryside well and are supported by numerous and important informers.

Robberies and crimes reach their hundreds but in the end the brutal application of the law of the viceroys hunts down, one by one, the more important members of the band, who nearly all end up executed as an example to the public.

This is when the process of Serrallonga's decline begins as he ends up alone, stealing from the wooden huts of shepherds, followed only by his beloved Joana and his dog. He meets Joana Macissa, his last love, in this final period of misery and it forces him to continue stealing and killing until they become prisoners. After a trial and cruel torture he is executed in Barcelona in a grand ceremony in 1634.

Great poets and playwrights begin to tell of his adventures, most of the time turning him into a noble and honourable figure, in love with a Joana of high social status, completely distorting the image of these popular characters.

Despite the fact that this bandit seemed to do nothing but work for his own benefit, having no political motivation, it's evident that some parts of his life remain obscure, such as the process of his trial, leading to the suspicion that not all his criminal activities were for his own personal gain.

The summer of ‘74 was splendid: our hopes for the imminent demise of the dictator opened up visions of a wonderful future for our generation, and the work on the outlaw emerged like a cry for freedom from all tyrannies. Starting with a story from the 17th century, we encouraged the audiences to make a contemporary interpretation of the events and the Catalans were still capable of evincing that effervescent solidarity. We felt happier than ever, unaware of ominous storm clouds gathering.
(Memòries d'un Bufó.Albert Boadella)

CAST AND PRODUCTION LIST

Actors

Albert BOADELLA
Pau CASARES
Marta CATALÀ
Anna Rosa CISQUELLA
Víctor MARTÍNEZ DE LA HIDALGA
Núria NEBOT
Fermí REIXACH
Gabriel RENOM
Elisa CREHUET
Glòria ROGNONI
Ferran RAÑÉ
Jaume SORRIBAS

STATISTICAL SUMMARY