Catalina Solivellas recovers the memory of a pre-tourist Mallorca with ‘When the squadron came’
The Principal theater of Inca hosts this Saturday the adaptation by Joan Yago of the memoir work of Xesca Ensenyat, directed by Joan Fullana, within the framework of the Xesca Ensenyat Year
PalmaThe memory of a Mallorca that no longer exists returns to the stage with Quan venia l’esquadra, the play by Xesca Ensenyat that Catalina Solivellas performs in a theatrical adaptation by Joan Yago. The production will be performed this Saturday, October 10th, at 7 PM at the Principal Theatre in Inca, coinciding with the Year of Xesca Ensenyat, which celebrates the figure of a fundamental author of Mallorcan literature.
Directed by Joan Fullana, the proposal returns to the stage eleven years after its premiere to recover Ensenyat's literary and personal testimony. The play draws from the memories of her childhood in Port de Pollença during the fifties and sixties, and builds a portrait of the daily life of that Mallorca before tourism.
Through Solivellas' performance, personal memories become collective memory. The production evokes a world of customs, social relationships, and ways of life that have gradually disappeared, with a perspective that combines humor, criticism, and nostalgia without idealizing the past. It also reclaims the unique language of Port de Pollença as part of the island's cultural heritage.
An author to rediscover
The revival of Quan venia l’esquadra aims to help recover the voice of Xesca Ensenyat, an author often little present in the public recognition of Mallorcan literature. The original memoir work gave rise to an adaptation that brings to the stage her perspective on childhood, the territory, and social changes.
The production is presented in a monologue format, with Catalina Solivellas as the sole performer, and has an approximate duration of 55 minutes. The performance in Inca will be this Saturday at 7 PM, in the main hall of the theater.