Dacsa Produccions is a Valencian production company that has been developing audiovisual projects for film and television for twenty years.. However, its beginnings back in the years 90 They were theatrical and in their last works —Cary Grant's Last Voyage, Anna and the time machine, Welcome home o, the last, The daughters of Siam— they keep working the scene. We spoke with part of the creative team, executive and interpretive that carries the project forward: Xavier Crespo (producer), Manu Valls (playwright and actor), and Alejandra Mandli (actress and production assistant), to give us some keys to their work and their objectives. SERGIO BELLO
Manuel, you are being very prolific in writing texts. How much is there of alter ego in your characters, How much autobiographical is there in your scripts??
M.V. Normally, I always write from what I know. One of the topics that interests me most when telling stories, is that of family relationships. The families, whatever type they are, They are the first microcosm on which society is articulated. The girls of Siam focuses on a mother and the power she exercises over her daughters. But it also talks about human nature., of monstrous beings that are much more human than the apparently “normal”. Theater should be a reflection of society. A mirror in which to look at ourselves. And that group of marginal beings who are our protagonists find their real references in the society in which we live.. On the other hand, All my texts have undergone changes when the essays have arrived. It is very nice that your text changes when the prism of direction and interpreters appears. Montas, dismantle, you rewrite. And the piece is not finished until the premiere arrives. and sometimes, The creative process doesn't even stop there..
Xavier, To what extent is the plot also forged based on the economic part?, production?
X.C. The cultural sector, in general, is the first to suffer from all the cuts and, in particular, some arts more than others. Definitely, including theater, but this always makes us be more creative and work with a certain artistic reality when proposing projects.. Let's say that, from the essence, we assume this lack of resources.
Alejandra, There are already a few characters created by Manuel that you have played. An intense universe – the family, some existential anxiety, etc. – that you have had to express and that, we intuit, They are already a core part of your psyche as an actress..
A.M. I work from the self and from emotion, therefore in each of my characters there is part of me. And although the family is a leitmotif in the texts of Manu, my characters have always been constructed in a different way. In The girls of Siam, I play Marga, a Siamese sister who suffers her mother's contempt, the contempt of a society that does not accept what is different and turns it into monstrosity. She embodies practicality and “touching the ground” in a world in which each character creates their own fictions in order to survive.. The creation process has been a real challenge for everyone. Besides, I work on stage with my sister in real life, Mar, literal footprint, like Siamese. walk and, even, breathing in unison is crazy, it's easier with it. We have again the playwright Eva Zapico. We enjoy like dwarfs, of your universe, of the way he looks and looks at you and the filigree work he is doing. And there is Pilar Martínez, with whom I already worked The glass menagerie and is a true example of passion and dedication to theater.
Xavier, What other projects is Dacsa Produccions involved in?? What can you tell us and when??
X.C. After the premiere of The girls of Siam We will start with our next show for children. In the audiovisual part, We are waiting to show our latest work, Camagroga, a feature-length documentary directed by Alfonso Amador. We just showed Cabanyal Any Zero at the Babel Cinemas and we are concluding the filming of what will be our production by the end of the 2020, a documentary titled Persona (no) humana.
