the soul of the comedian i.b.m.
I i.b.m. The village of Araia hosts one of the most important theatre festivals in the Basque Country: The Araia Comedy Theatre Festival. This village in Araba has a population of 1,200 and every August it manages to fill a theatre that seats 650. The proportions are certainly to be taken into consideration. The fact is that when you look at the long history of cultural activity in Araia you are not surprised. The story goes that a local theatre group were the main organisers behind the event when it started. The director of the festival, Javier Alkorta, has always been involved in the festival through thick and thin. The word that best describes the festival is desire: the desire of the director to bring theatre to the people; the amount of work done by the villagers moved by the desire for everything to run smoothly; the desire of the people who attend the festival to enjoy good theatre. All of this pooled together ensures full houses at the marquee tent installed at the sports centre every year.
People normally respond positively to these kind of events, but it is also true that people need to have the habit for it formed. And, above all, you obviously need the people who are prepared to put in the work behind all the organisation. That is the case of Javier Alkorta. In Araia, children from a very young age are constantly in touch with the world of theatre. In the village it’s very usual to see kids hanging around the stage, lapping up the charm of a theatre festival in a totally natural way. It comes as no surprise to see that a great number of the viewing audience are young people. But it’s not all money and tradition; you also need money.
Administration is the only one responsible for that, but at times the money forthcoming has been very scarce. That just goes to show us once again that the real reason why art survives today is because of individual effort. In Araia, it has been the grouping together of different individual efforts that have made the festival possible. It’s 10 years old and attracts more and more people every year. It’s also true that the venue itself has improved a lot over the years. In the beginning they used a rather small marquee tent which in time was changed for the local cinema hall. Finally, they have settled for a venue at the local sports centre.
In August, the sports court totally transforms and the old saying "men sana in corpore sano" no doubt helps get this cultural offering into good shape. The work done ensures that the finished improvised theatre in Araia offers the same facilities as any purpose built one. The technicians from the Principal Theatre in Gasteiz have been on hand for the last five editions to make sure that everything runs smoothly.
There is a strong infrastructure behind the festival, but, as we’ve pointed out before, one name, Javier Alkorta, and many anonymous people are the strongest pillars sustaining the festival.
We’re pretty sure that the soul of a comedian is floating around this village adroit in theatre. The reason we say this is because there is a grave in Araia called “La tumba del comediante” (The Comedian’s Grave). They say that a man who once came to the village to show the locals the wonders of theatre is buried there. Maybe he knew that the village would become the ideal place it.
People normally respond positively to these kind of events, but it is also true that people need to have the habit for it formed. And, above all, you obviously need the people who are prepared to put in the work behind all the organisation. That is the case of Javier Alkorta. In Araia, children from a very young age are constantly in touch with the world of theatre. In the village it’s very usual to see kids hanging around the stage, lapping up the charm of a theatre festival in a totally natural way. It comes as no surprise to see that a great number of the viewing audience are young people. But it’s not all money and tradition; you also need money.
Administration is the only one responsible for that, but at times the money forthcoming has been very scarce. That just goes to show us once again that the real reason why art survives today is because of individual effort. In Araia, it has been the grouping together of different individual efforts that have made the festival possible. It’s 10 years old and attracts more and more people every year. It’s also true that the venue itself has improved a lot over the years. In the beginning they used a rather small marquee tent which in time was changed for the local cinema hall. Finally, they have settled for a venue at the local sports centre.
In August, the sports court totally transforms and the old saying "men sana in corpore sano" no doubt helps get this cultural offering into good shape. The work done ensures that the finished improvised theatre in Araia offers the same facilities as any purpose built one. The technicians from the Principal Theatre in Gasteiz have been on hand for the last five editions to make sure that everything runs smoothly.
There is a strong infrastructure behind the festival, but, as we’ve pointed out before, one name, Javier Alkorta, and many anonymous people are the strongest pillars sustaining the festival.
We’re pretty sure that the soul of a comedian is floating around this village adroit in theatre. The reason we say this is because there is a grave in Araia called “La tumba del comediante” (The Comedian’s Grave). They say that a man who once came to the village to show the locals the wonders of theatre is buried there. Maybe he knew that the village would become the ideal place it.
