LAUGHTER IS THE ONLY MEDICINE, AVAILABLE WITHOUT A PRESCRIPTION, THAT IS GUARANTEED TO SUCCEED

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Rudolf Miles
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1 LAUGHTER IS THE ONLY MEDICINE, AVAILABLE WITHOUT A PRESCRIPTION, THAT IS GUARANTEED TO SUCCEED

2 1 The Show David Garrick was a famous 18th-century English actor. He was such an extraordinary comedian that doctors would recommend their patients to go and see him in action as a kind of magic remedy capable of curing any grief-related ailment. In modern terms, we could say that Garrick, albeit unwittingly, was the world s first laughter-therapist. Now, well into the 21st century, when it has been scientifically demonstrated that children laugh approximately 300 times a day, as opposed to the adult average of just 15 times a day, we hereby proclaim ourselves Garricks s humble followers and offer him this tribute-show that merely (merely?) seeks to make the audience forget their problems, abandon their masks and laugh with the 400 muscles that are said to come into play when a person bursts with laughter. TRICICLE

2 TRICICLE JOAN GRÀCIA, CARLES SANS & PACO MIR TRICICLE IN 100 WORDS Joan Gràcia, Paco Mir and Carles Sans have been performing as TRICICLE since 1979; almost 30 years of continuous stage work with

3 2 TRICICLE JOAN GRÀCIA, CARLES SANS & PACO MIR TRICICLE IN 100 WORDS Joan Gràcia, Paco Mir and Carles Sans have been performing as TRICICLE since 1979; almost 30 years of continuous stage work with seven productions presented both at home and abroad - MANICOMIC, EXIT, SLASTIC; TERRIFIC, ENTRETRÉS, SIT and GARRICK, which have been seen by millions of spectators. Between productions, the company has also left its mark on other areas of show business such as TV series, cartoon scripts, advertising campaigns, opera adaptations, cinema, stage productions, radio programmes and even the Olympic Games (a unique one-off experience at the Barcelona 1992 edition). Their latest production, Garrick, opened in El Ejido in May TRICICLE. WITHOUT WORDS TRICICLE s style is fruit of an era in which visual humour was rising in popularity. Performers such as COMEDIANTS, JANGO EDWARDS and ALBERT VIDAL were an undeniable point of reference for those wishing to devote their lives to the world of theatre and this was why Joan, Paco and Carles (each one separately) decided to give up their free mornings and enrol at Barcelona s Institute of Drama with the aim of steeping themselves in all the various types of drama techniques. But how they really learned the bases of their unique style was by memorising the LUBITCH, WILDER and KEATON films they would see at Barcelona s Filmoteca and, especially, by dissecting and analysing the performances of humorists appearing in Barcelona, which was then a city thirsty for refreshing entertainment.

4 ORIGINS With great youthful energy, they formed the company before graduating from the Drama Institute and performed at the Llantiol, a small café and theatre venue that drew on the city s flourishing theatrical talent. It was here at the Llantiol that they would put into practice the techniques they had learned both at the Drama Institute or from the numerous shows they had seen. At the Llantiol, out of a need to absorb the attention of easily distracted audiences, the company members intuitively learned how to pepper their scripts with gags in order to continually provoke laughter and keep their spectators enthralled. In 1982, the company was asked, on the rebound, to perform for four days at the Sala Villarroel venue. In just one week, the company pieced together their best sketches, created the connecting role of a presenter, and came up with MANICOMIC, which, by the end of the year, had become a hit show playing to full houses. An appearance on the popular UN, DOS, TRES quiz show would greatly increase their popularity, which has never since waned. The basis of their work lies in stage production and the creation of seven hit shows - MANICOMIC, EXIT, SLASTIC; TERRIFIC, ENTRETRÉS, SIT and GARRICK, which may seem not seem that many if we do not take into account that each of these shows has a minimum 4-year lifespan. GAGS THE MINIMUM UNIT OF HUMOUR, according to the definition, gags are the basis of the company s theatrical technique. All TRICICLE shows are replete with gags and have a seemingly incredible average of one gag per ten seconds. The company s shows are never indeed considered as finished products and are constantly open to the inclusion of new gags as each production progresses, although they do have their limits. TRICICLE do draw the line at humour based on bad taste.

5 CARACTERISTICS From the outset, TRICICLE avoided conventional mime techniques and opted for a realistic acting style based on day-to-day gesture; ACTION THEATRE, the company call it, thus comparing it to action cinema in which the characters, who often have very little to say to each other, simply spring into action. The company s style is mainly characterised by its dynamic nature, short scenes, frequent changes of character, natural onomatopoeia (with a very occasional spoken word), the dramatic use of stage props and constant surprises. Their concept is that the audience should leave the theatre without even realising they have attended a silent show. There is nothing worse than hearing someone utter Why are they not speaking? during a performance. TINTIN HUMOUR Or indeed even more so, as HERGÉ claimed only to have a target audience ranging from 9 to 99 years of age, whereas TRICICLE addresses an even wider spectrum from 2 to 120 years of age. TRICICLE do indeed attract audiences of all ages, of all social levels, ideologies and cultures, as the company merely (merely?) aims to make their public laugh and reach their hearts, that corner of their hearts where the sprit of childhood still beats, and thus helps them to enjoy the absurd situations portrayed onstage. The secret of TRICICLE s success is perhaps the company s ability to transform the members of their audiences into children, or, at least, those who wish to be transformed, as indeed there is nothing quite as queer as folk. SUBJECT MATTER The company s basic subject matter is centred on daily life and, specifically, on problems arising from daily life. Sometimes, they merely imitate such situations and, at other times, they take them as a basis to create surreal worlds. TRICICLE have always aimed at avoiding repetition, constantly evolving and breaking new ground within the self-imposed limitation of creating shows without dialogue.

The fact is that people go to see performers on the strength of their previous work, but, at the same time, they are not particularly impressed when performers repeat themselves.

One of TRICICLE s main problems is to find subjects that can be brought to the stage without the need for dialogue, and in the ENTRETRÉS show, as difficult as it may seem, the company managed to

6 The fact is that people go to see performers on the strength of their previous work, but, at the same time, they are not particularly impressed when performers repeat themselves. This is indeed one of the company s great challenges. One of TRICICLE s main problems is to find subjects that can be brought to the stage without the need for dialogue, and in the ENTRETRÉS show, as difficult as it may seem, the company managed to parody a situation comedy in theatrical silence. Their strain of humour is timeless and refrains from making direct references to specific present-day events. This prevents their shows from becoming dated and is a key factor in their videos being sold and repeatedly broadcast worldwide. Whatever the chosen subject matter, TRICICLE s main objective has always been laughter and the more laughter, the better! The art of MAKING AUDIENCES LAUGH, in capital letters, is an activity that, albeit too often underrated, has an invaluable social and cultural function. OTHER FIELDS TRICICLE are present in practically all the different facets of show-business with the exception of video-games (but the company are open to proposals!). They have starred in two TV series (TRES ESTRELLAS and CHOOOF), produced six TV shows (DINAMITA, TRILITA and TELETIPOS), directed a full-length motion picture (PALACE), adapted opera for children (THE BARBER OF SEVILLE), written cartoon scripts (COBI), featured in advertising campaigns (AIRTEL, FORD, TOYOTA) and on radio programmes (RADIO SITGES and CATALUNYA RADIO) and have appeared in macro sporting-events (THE 1992 BARCELONA OLYMPIC GAMES). Despite not making a direct appearance, the company have organised the POR HUMOR AL ARTE Prize for comic stage-plays, created mini TV series for Canal Plus, organised many different types of social and cultural events and have produced numerous shows for theatre. SECOND COMPANY After their success with SLASTIC in Paris in 1988, they created a second sister company known as CLOWNIC with the aim of touring the company s shows internationally. To date, CLOWNIC have toured with TRICICLE 20 (the most popular Tricicle sketches from the first twenty years) and SIT.

TRADING COMPANIES Together with DAGOLL DAGOM and ANEXA, TRICICLE are associates of the production and distribution company 3XTRES, which runs two of Barcelona s most prestigious theatres the

7 TRADING COMPANIES Together with DAGOLL DAGOM and ANEXA, TRICICLE are associates of the production and distribution company 3XTRES, which runs two of Barcelona s most prestigious theatres the POLIORAMA and the VICTORIA. The above-mentioned associates also form part of EOLIA, a drama school with an intense teaching programme. Together with OVIDEO, TRICICLE also trade under the name of TRIVIDEO, a production company devoted to carrying out all their audiovisual projects. GARRICK Since their very first show, TRICICLE have always made a point of being present in the theatre foyer after performances to greet their audiences. This personal face-to-face contact allows them to gauge their audiences reactions first-hand. The odd member of the public might complain, some smile, but the majority express their gratitude for having helped them to forget their problems for the roughly two-hour duration of the show, and others even admit to having overcome a depressive state after seeing one of the company s shows Indeed, the three members of the company would often joke that their shows were so therapeutic that some day they would have to perform in medical white coats. Well, finally the time has come! The main characters in GARRICK dress up in white coats! The aim of the company s new show is simply to make the audience laugh. Openly and unashamedly. The idea was to achieve the maximum number of laughs possible and this objective, in combination with the now fashionable art of laughter therapy, finally served to transform the three members of the company into Doctors of humour, therapeutic specialists offering a demonstration of the physiology of humour and the basic techniques that cause it to happen.

8 The name GARRICK, which at first sight may appear somewhat strange, is for two clear motives. Firstly, it is in keeping with the IC ending of many of the company s shows and, secondly, it is a direct reference to DAVID GARRICK, a famous 18 th century English actor, to whose shows doctors would apparently refer patients suffering from depression in the hope that they would recover their will to live. GARRICK is a both a show and a conference that deals with the mechanics of humour. Garrick allows TRICICLE to use different theatrical techniques (some of which are quite new to the company) with the sole objective of getting the audience to experience firsthand the many benefits of laughter..

9 3 Credits Script, Artistic Direction and Production: Tricicle Performers: Joan Gràcia, Paco Mir and Carles Sans Head of Technical Production: Carlos Andrés Set Design: Sebastià Brosa, Laura García Lighting Designer: Luis Martí Sound Designer: Tarek Rayan/Ricardo Gonzàlez Costume Designer: Anna Güell Costume Assistant: Patricia Santos Music: Pere Bardagí Other Music: Jaume Vilaseca, Fred Heatherton Masks and Props: Elisa Ramos Stagehands: Tito Sánchez, Anna Ramos Set Construction: Tallers Escenografia Sant Cugat Props: Tero Guzmán, Rosa Solé, Tito Sánchez Special Effects: Enric Masip Costume-Makers: Època Graphic Design: Gagnetwork.com Photographer: Carles Allende Video Creation: Tricicle Video and Post-production: Trivideo, Oido, Mariona Omedes, Edit Inedit Administrative Director: Pilar Mir Administration: Silvia Sagué, Pere Blázquez, Elena Ruíz, Jordi Lopez With the collaboration: Teatre Auditori Sant Cugat Acknowledgements: Auditori de Cornellà, Fundació Joan Miró, Armand Basi, Marc Panades. Press Agency:

10 Press Agency Tricicle Passeig de Gràcia 20 1r 2a Barcelona tlf fax

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