Regarding artistic choices in theatre, Ellen Stewart once said, “Please remember, the human race does not all speak English.” She was advocating for “theatre that uses all the performing elements for its communication,” but I sometimes feel she could have been referring to Americans in general. I’m embarrassed to admit I am monolingual. Perhaps that explains my fascination with Guild members Guillem Clua, Alan Rossett, and Oana Maria Cajal—who speak and write in languages other than their native tongue. In May 2015, I had the opportunity to meet and chat with each of these three dramatists, later corresponding with them via email. We encountered no language barriers in our discussions of language. Luckily for me, their English is impeccable, so I wasn’t required to stretch my Catalan, French, or Romanian vocabulary beyond “Hello” and “Thank you.”
La Lengua
While on vacation, I had brunch with playwright and lyricist Guillem Clua at the airy Federal Café in his hometown of Barcelona. Our conversation began there while sipping espresso, straddling a tiled window seat—one foot in the restaurant, the other on the Sant Antoni sidewalk.
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