In the mid-1960s, they burst onto the singing festival scene, becoming famous throughout the country. One of their finals, in Hogares Mundet, was even broadcast by "Televisión Española."
Yet, in the evolution of this artistic-educational journey of the Salesians of Spain, there were two shows that more than any other marked a before and after with respect to their passage: the musical "Juan Soñador" by Salesian Carlos Martínez Voces and the musical "Don Bosco" by Antonio Gil Prieto and Joan Faner, both of which premiered in 1988, on the centenary of the founder's death.
Thus began a new era in the artistic expression of Salesian Spain: Antonio Gil Prieto and Joan Faner took the lead in an ambitious project in their professional production, which led to the recording of a record and the performance of this musical throughout Spain.
Here is how Antonio Gil assesses the significance of this new form of theatrical expression: "It is through text, song, choreography, and dance that the potential of the many attitudes is expressed that in children then develop attention, harmony, communication, control, concentration, dynamism, discipline, effort, dreaming, imagination, optimism, respect, responsibility, sensitivity, work, and union... and all this includes various performing arts (text, poetry, song, interpretation) which, taken together, emotionally move and thrill the audience."
Today there are many Salesian youth centers that continue this legacy. They offer a different educational time and, on many occasions, involve families, parent associations, and other groups of the Salesian Family.
The educational experience of theater offers an opportunity to give importance to those who sometimes feel most irrelevant. "We have seen how kids who had never said more than two sentences in a row in front of a group of people were able to play leading roles and gained great self-confidence, which they still maintain to this day," explain those in charge of the Salesian company in Cartagena, engaged this season in performing the musical "Un millón de sueños" inspired by the film "The Greatest Showman." Several members of that company became so passionate about theater that they have chosen it as their profession, even with excellent results, such as David Matarín, actor in the HBO series "Todo lo otro."
"Theater brings together a multitude of values that deserve to be acknowledged, from team spirit to the tendency toward self-improvement, from the beauty of art to joy... We firmly believe that Salesian theater helps young people become better people. We could rephrase Don Bosco's phrase and say that 'a Salesian home without music, and without theater, is like a body without a soul,'" they add from Guadalajara.
Several Salesian theater groups in Spain had active musical projects before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. Nearly three years of work on the "new" shows allowed them to fine-tune many details, but also generated complicated management after the return to normalcy. With the renewal of part of the cast, they had to start virtually from scratch with rehearsals, choreography, and songs. Although the pandemic undoubtedly generated an extra motivational boost for everyone.
"We suffered a lot and for a long time, and now it's our turn to put smiles back on the faces of all the viewers. Our motto during the pandemic was a phrase sung in one of our songs: 'If we walk together, our dreams will come true,'" explains Pablo Patiño, director of the Guadalajara theater group.
"The return to the theater has brought joy to both participants and animators. It is a project that excites everyone, we wanted to be back on stage and create a show with all the children and youth who signed up," they confirm from the Salesian theater in Cartagena.
For its part, the "Amorevo" group from Madrid tried to adapt to the circumstances required by the health emergency. Inspired by the figure of Don Bosco, who sought imaginative solutions, they found alternative ways to be able to rehearse from home and continue to maintain contact, without at any time thinking of stopping their activities during the period of closures. And then they streamed their musical online.
Having overcome this complex phase, the Salesian musicals are now resuming their activities in the most normal way possible. For many promoters, the "post-Covid era" is bringing with it new challenges. "One of those we are facing is the lack of involvement and accountability. We currently notice that the willingness to engage in a project is not at the highest level, and we see that the culture of effort has been eroded. But this does not hold us back; on the contrary, it pushes us to continue working to break down these barriers," concludes Javier García, director of "Amorevo."
To learn about the Salesian musicals scheduled for this season, visit salesianos.info
