E.B.: I am told from the moment I could walk and talk that I wanted to be an actor. I was always involved in drama productions at school and then at 18 I auditioned and was given a place at LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Arts) . After graduating, I had a career in the theatre world in London for a few years, culminating in time at the National Theatre. I took a pause on my acting career for 10+ years but kept my toes in the theatrical world by being a founding member of ISLA, an English speaking theatre company on the island. During COVID, I decided to return to acting properly and I got an agent in Barcelona. I have actually been doing mostly film and tv work since then as it allows me to keep my family time.
N.C.: I've been doing theatre since I was 6 years old, when I signed up at school. Nothing in the world made me feel as good as acting. I did a 4-year professional degree in Mallorca and then I moved to Madrid to continue learning, working as a theatre actress in the capital for eight-years. I came back to Mallorca in 2020, and since then I've had the opportunity to work on IB3TV, do several short films and also do some roles in foreign productions that film here on the island.
E.B.: I was introduced to Reginn by an actress with whom I had done a short film, who said I should meet him as he was starting an English speaking theatre association on the island. Originally I met him to give him advice on the production side of things. Kindly he proceeded to write the play with me in mind and things evolved from there. My character, Karen, is a rollercoaster of emotions and energy and I immediately knew it would be an exciting challenge… and if I was going to come back to acting onstage what more did I want?!
N.C.: I heard about the audition through a friend I have in common with Emma. I've been working as a drama teacher in English for a few years now, and I felt like performing in the language. I auditioned for two of the characters, and the team gave me a lot of confidence and positive energy during the audition. In the end, I was cast as Anabel, one of the two main roles.
E.B.: I think the poster sets the tone and exemplifies our characters perfectly. The play is a dark comedy. We are both women who love being a part of the real estate market in Mallorca. I have become a cynic, hence the wine and fact that I’m in the pool. Annabelle is still with the fresh exuberance of youth.
N.C.: That day, Emma, Reggin and I met up to create some content to promote the play. We had a few ideas and just started playing around. The location perfectly captures the atmosphere of the play, and we simply posed while embodying the essence of our characters.
E.B.: I think that the housing on this island has and always will be a sensitive subject, just this week alone the union of real estate agents on Mallorca has had to defend itself against activist attacks asking them to “go home”. Their response published in the press today claims that ‘less than a third of sales in the balearics are to foreigners.”
N.C.: As a Mallorcan, I’ve witnessed the evolution of the housing crisis, and the topic affects me deeply. When I read the full play, I spoke with Reggin to adjust certain parts that directly impact the Mallorcan community—of course, with the fictional touches he wrote. Reggin is a wonderful artist who is open and collaborative, and like the rest of the team, he believes that art is a tool for raising awareness.
ISLA was a theatre foundation, founded by myself, Jenny Whiffen (also in Selling Shade) and Saskia Guanche Diaz, an Argentinian/Cuban actress in 2013. For the next 7 years we produced 11 English productions at various theatres in Palma. The biggest show annually was always our Christmas musical version of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens which cemented our relationship with Palma Auditorium. Our last show in 2019 was the world premiere of Carl’s Story by another Mallorca resident playwright/director Gavin Miller, which we then transferred successfully to London. We have been on a hiatus since Covid as other commitments have taken precedence, but are thrilled to collaborate with and fully support Skald, a new theatre association, with Reginn.
N.C.: For being an island focused on tourism, Mallorca has a strong artistic and cultural industry with many theatrical formats that work very well: improv shows, micro-theaters in bars, musicals in the major theaters, and national programming at the Teatre Principal de Palma, Auditorium de Palma, or the Teatre de Manacor. There are grants that support performing arts creation, but the reality is that there is much more paperwork and passion than money in those processes, but at least it is a way to develop privately produced original projects.
On the other hand, the territory is what it is, sometimes, there isn’t enough audience for such a wide range of offerings and there is an inevitable limit that makes projects have a very short lifespan. I always say that actors from the islands are always rehearsing projects and almost never get to enjoy a continuous run of performances, but at least we have a small circuit that works and keeps growing.
E.B.: The Palma Auditorium is an amazing space! The Ferragut family, when designing the theatre, visited the Royal Shakespeare Company in the UK to take its exact dimensions for building their theatre. I love working there both in terms of the space and the professional relationship.
N.C.: I used to perform as a teenager because I sang in a choir, and we always did the end-of-year concert there. As an actress, this will be the first time I perform in the auditorium, and it will also be my debut acting in English on stage, so I’m both super excited and nervous at the same time. Without a doubt, this project is a true challenge that marks a before and after in my career.
To learn more about Selling Shade and reserve a ticket visit: Skald Theatre or Palma Auditorium.
