DAGOLL DAGOM THIRTY YEARS – 1974-2004

The coming year 2004, DAGOLL DAGOM will turn thirty years old. During this period, the company has created 15 shows, most of them are classified within the MUSICAL THEATRE, and has offered around 5.000 performances to all types of audiences in Spain, Europe and South America. At the same time, it has produced four fiction television comedies that have had great audiences and also edited several CDs with their show’s soundtracks. DAGOLL DAGOM has created texts and scores of its shows, and has collaborated with hundreds of actors, actresses, writers, composers, stage designers, and a large number of artistic and technical collaborators. Throughout its history, DAGOLL DAGOM has gained several awards, some of them very important and well-known like the award NACIONAL DE TEATRE DE LA GENERALITAT, CREU DE SANT JORDI, JAUME I, and in repeated occasions the prestigious MAX award of scenic arts. Since 1987, DAGOLL DAGOM is part of the TRESX3 society, along with the TRICICLE and ANEXA, the society manages the programming of several theatres in Barcelona such as Victoria or Poliorama.

During the past years, DAGOLL DAGOM has always maintained its essence as an independent theatre Company, with an agile and low-costing structure, and its will to work in a constant-changing situation has lead the company to do great tours, seasons and performances all around the Spanish territory and, in several occasions, foreign countries. The balance of all these different seasons has been positive and everything leads to foresee that DAGOLL DAGOM will continue to perform in lots of stages, will seduce larger audiences and travel many kilometres. However, thirty years remaining successful on stage is something that doesn’t happen often. Therefore DAGOLL DAGOM wishes to celebrate its birthday with the production of an important show, and a special anniversary DVD edition commemorating the activities of its long history.

A QUALITY POPULAR THEATRE

DAGOLL DAGOM, as you may know, has always betted for a QUALITY POPULAR THEATRE, without rejecting its contract with ALL THE AUDIENCE and refusing the minor and exclusive styles of other companies. It hasn’t quit its research for new languages – concretely the musical theatre language - and the transmission of a solidary message that is looking forward to progress. The company has always paid special attention to SCHOOL AUDIENCES that have built one of its beloved work lines: the education of new audiences and the attraction of younger people to the theatres.

AGAIN, “MAR I CEL” (Sea and sky)

In the centre of a long story of this independent company, from the chronological and artistic point for view, we find the great musical MAR I CEL, based on an Angel Guimerà work under the same title. DAGOLL DAGOM launched this show with an enormous success back in 1988, converting it into the first intent of creation of a new style of musical theatre.

MAR I CEL, along with more than 500 performances made at BARCELONA, PALMA DE MALLORCA, ZARAGOZA, BILBAO AND MADRID, has been followed by an audience of over 500.000 people and received the congratulations of its spectators and the critics. It has also been broadcast, even several times always in prime time, in Catalan and Spanish in the main public channels of Catalonia and Spain, and seen by about 2 million people.

A SCRIPT ALWAYS UP-TO-DATE

MAR I CEL talks about the dramatic love of a Christian girl and a muslim corsar –expulsed from Valencia in 1609- in a lost ship in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. The intolerance of both communities will make this love impossible and will eventually force the tragical death of both main characters that are the symbol of the victims due to the collision of both cultures. The current conflict between Islam and Occident brings this topic to a completely up-to-date story.

The new project, thus, is the biggest event of the DAGOLL DAGOM’S THIRTY YEARS celebration. It means the re-performing of this emblematic play, in co-production with the TEATRE NACIONAL DE CATALUNYA, and the creation of a company that will combine actors that belong to the first cast of the performance launched in 1988 together with new actors and actresses of the latest shows.

Therefore the critique to the book will be revised such as the score, the orchestra and the stage setting and every other element that is part of this play parallel to the historic present and the current theatres.

The intention of DAGOLL DAGOM is to offer again the possibility of enjoying this show that many spectators, without any doubt, wish to enjoy again. Many young people who didn’t have the opportunity to watch it the first time will now be able to. Another thing that has been taken into account to re-produce this play, is the non-stopping demand of the audience to again watch MAR I CEL, and the results of a questionnaire by the magazine TEATRAL.NET in which 93% of the people consulted, were in favour of re-making this play.

MAR I CEL: will be a show for all audiences. For schools, young people, old people, families, business people, as well as all cities world-wide. The story told is universal and the topic remains absolutely up-to-date. Just don’t miss it.

ARTISTIC PROFILE

MAR i CEL is performed by 20 actors that interpret 36 different characters. The company is divided in 8 principal characters and a large crowd of Christians and pirates, formed by singers, actors, musicians, acrobats and soloists. Out of all of them, the most important are the authentic protagonists of a love story that comprehends the center of the performance, with all of the respective antagonists. However, MAR i CEL is much more than a simple love triangle among the two lovers and the future husband of the Christian protagonist. Therefore, the artistic profile counts with great voices and great interpretations.

The performance is interpreted with live-music through an orchestra of 14 musicians, that are distributed as follows: 6 strings, 5 woodwinds and brass, 2 keyboards, 1 piano and symphonic percussion.

A part from the people that collaborate in the design of the illumination, sound and stage design of the performance, the technical group is formed by an intelligent mixture of the company itself and technicians of the place were the play is performed. All of them make a group of 14 people working around the stage in order to make the play possible.

DAGOLL DAGOM – December 2003