The ‘Ànima Lliure’ project is the fruit of an ambition to turn Lliure into an artistic space that is open to everyone and that brings together a wide range of voices and bodies. The theatre is a space where the invisible is made visible, and this project seeks to shed light on a social reality that has often been overlooked, not only to create an awareness-raising tool, but also to provide a space for high-quality artistic creation involving all the bodies and voices that form part of our society. The project also aims to systematise the findings of the initiative, with a twofold objective: on one hand, the possibility of replicating the same theatrical proposal with other performing arts centres in Spain and, on the other hand, the creation of documentation that may be used to apply the same methodology to other theatrical proposals, to the Teatre Lliure itself, and to other performing arts centres.
The programme for the 2024/25 season included the work Fantàstic Ramon, by author and theatre director Clàudia Cedó, an allegory about difference, told with humour and a touch of fantasy, which reflects on how the bodies of people with disabilities are appropriated by a small-town community. The show includes the presence of performers with cerebral palsy, deafness, intellectual disabilities and West syndrome.
“I have been fortunate to work with people with functional diversity in ‘Escenarios Especiales’ for some years now and, as a spectator, I feel we are missing out on their talents. I think that our country lacks places where actors or actresses with functional diversity can be part of creative and artistic processes. I think that the Ánima Lliure project is something that has simply not existed for us until now and it will allow actors and actresses with functional diversities to form part of shows performed at Lliure.” Claudia Cedó, playwright and director of Fantàstic Ramon, part of the Ànima Lliure project