The Theatre workshop for the over 50s premieres 'Tafalitats', a satiric play of Karl Valentin

Inspired by the sketches of the German comedian, playwright, filmmaker and actor Karl Valentin, known for his ironic and witty humour, Tafalitats tackles diverse themes such as bureaucracy, technology, human relationships and social conventions. With a satirical touch and in the tradition of the genre, a dozen quintuple actors and actresses have captured Valentin's spirit to delve into the ironies and incongruities of our everyday lives, which we have normalised as a society.  

“Valentin's humour is similar to and just as necessary as the old court jesters: it questions our reality, our social relations and even, through the deconstruction of language, our mental structures”, highlights Marta Sorribas, the director of the play and the head teacher of this theatre workshop.  

Karl Valentin (1882-1948) was a German comedian of the first decades of the 20th century. Together with his partner (both on stage and in life) Liesl Karlstad, he became enormously popular with his irreverent sketches, which he performed on small stages in cabarets, and which he also took to the cinema, both silent and sound, in a multitude of short comedy films. His original use of language influenced contemporary authors and filmmakers, such as Bertold Brecht and Max Ophüls, with whom he collaborated. The Nazi rise ended his career, as most of his work was banned and censored. He died poor and forgotten, but his absurdist humour influenced later authors, such as Samuel Beckett and Eugène Ionesco, and in the 1970s his work was rediscovered, revalued and returned to stages everywhere.  

This activity is included in the programme of the cultural card. Admission is free, limited to the capacity of the hall. To attend the play, you must register in advance using the following form.