Interview: Iñaki Rikarte Directs Kulunka Teatro's Wordless Love Story ANDRE & DORINE

Latino Theatre Company presents Kulunka Teatro's André & Dorine beginning June 8, 2022 at The Los Angeles Theatre Center. Co-founding member of Kulunka Teatro Iñaki Rikarte directs the silent cast of Edu Cárcamo, El José Dault and Garbiñe Insausti portraying over fifteen different characters, telling the story with only masks, gesture and movement.
I had the opportunity to get some behind-the-scenes info about André & Dorine and Kulunnka Teatro from Iñaki.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Iñaki.

The writing of André & Dorine is credited to five of you. Who come up with this mask concept initially?

The original idea is the brainchild of the founding members of Kulunka (Garbiñe Insausti and José Dault), who, incidentally, also act in its shows. They wanted to use masks to tell a story about the love shared by two elderly people throughout the course of their lives, and about how a disease transformed their relationship. To bring the project to fruition, they increased their team of artists to include another actor (Edu Cárcamo), a musician (Yayo Cáceres), a lighting specialist (Carlos Samaniego), a stage designer (Laura Eliseva), a costume designer (Ikerne Giménez), an assistant director (Rolando San Martín) and myself, as director. None of us had any prior experience working with the kind of mask that Garbiñe had already begun to build. The play developed and evolved during rehearsals, with the actors, Rolando and myself gradually giving shape to Garbiñe and Jose's original idea. The element that most impacted the writing was the decision not to use words. This forced us to think out of the box. Our work with objects and physical actions and gestures proved fundamental. We were also lucky enough to have Yayo Cáceres' guitar and accordion accompanying us during rehearsals.

How long was the gestation period of André & Dorine from original concept to when you first performed it at Colombia's Manizales International Theatre Festival in 2010?

Rehearsals lasted two months. We always say that we had a 'guardian angel' watching over us during the creative process. Although we were faced with the challenge of creating something collectively in a language we did not really speak, we managed to achieve our goal without any major crises. Everything went fairly smoothly. It is true that rehearsals were intense, with many days featuring double sessions. Twelve years have passed since that time, but I remember that we all got really involved, we all read a lot about dementia and gradually discovered the language of masks through trial and error. Paradoxically, we had to talk a lot in order to create a play without words. The challenge was to remove the words from the equation without the audience even realizing.

Has the non-verbal script been set in stone in its over 600 performances? Or is improvisation allowed?

The movements of the actors, or the action scores as we called them, were all carefully choreographed and fine-tuned during both the rehearsals and the actual performances. During the first 100 performances, more or less, we continued tweaking small details of the play. Now, the challenge for the actors is to remain dynamic and organic within this very strict sequence of movements. It is curious, but often it is the audience (coming to see the play for the first time) who help us rediscover and emotionally reconnect with what we are doing.

You're currently at your first stop of your U.S. tour, at Theatre At St. Clement's in New York City through May 29th. Any audience responses take you by surprise?

Tickets sold out quite quickly and this was, without doubt, the biggest surprise. We did not know how André & Dorine would be received in a city like New York, which has such a varied offer. We are both surprised and flattered by the response. Then, at an individual level, the fact that many people come to see us after watching the play because they feel the need to thank us has a real impact on us. It is hard to get used to.

What would your three-line pitch of André & Dorine be?

I would say that André & Dorine is a love story. A simple, basic love story. As deep and profound as the eyes of the beholder.

You established Kulunka Teatro in 2010. Was the Colombia's Manizales International Theatre Festival your impetus for this theatre company?

It was in that Festival that we began getting our first feedback and reviews, and to realize the potential impact the play could have in the audience.

Since then, Kulunka theatre company has performed the play around 600 times in more than 30 countries, including long and highly successful seasons in Madrid, Barcelona, New York and Los Angeles.

Any plans to expand Kulunka Teatro past the original five of you?

The core creating team of Kulunka Teatro is made of the five of us when it comes to developing mask-based plays. However, and in parallel, Kulunka has developed other verbal plays in collaboration with other artists, such as actors, directors, musicians, set designers, light designers, etc.

You've produced André & Dorine twice before in Los Angeles - in 2015 and 2012 both at Los Angeles Theatre Center. What aspects of LATC keeps Kulunka Teatro coming back to it?

Since our first fleeting visit in 2012, when we performed four times at the LATC, we always thought that the play would go down well in Los Angeles, due to the warm welcome and positive reviews we received there. L.A. audiences connected very intensely with the play.
Luckily, the LATC invited us back in 2015, this time for three weeks. It was after that that we won the L.A. Critics Awards. When we floated the idea of going on tour again, this time around all of North America, the LATC did not hesitate to invite us again. I would say we have become old friends, and I very much hope we will be back soon with our future plays.

After your stop at The Los Angeles Theatre Center, will you schedule other cities for André & Dorine? Or will you tour one of Kulunka Teatro's other shows?

The 2022 North American Tour will finish in Los Angeles. In autumn we will travel to France, Spain and Canada. Nevertheless, given the interest generated during our season in New York, where we sold out and had to add extra shows to cover the demand, we hope to return to the USA soon for a longer tour. We would also love to come back with our second masked play, Solitudes, but that is something we are still working on.

Do you already have ideas for a new show for Kulunka Teatro?

Yes, we are currently rehearsing a new play called Forever. It is another family story that addresses a combination of issues, including motherhood, overprotection, disability and intrafamily violence. Again, using masks but no words. With our hallmark combination of comedy and drama. It is going to be a challenge for us, particularly from the perspective of stage design and the development of the script. And the tone too. And I believe the result is going to be a bit more disturbing.

Is there a dream venue you would love Kulunka Teatro to perform at?

This North American tour is like a dream come true for us, but to return to Forever, our next play, we will be premièring it next season at the María Guerrero Theatre, the headquarters of the Spanish Drama Centre and one of the most iconic theatres in Madrid. That fact that Kulunka will be premièring one of its plays there is a very special achievement for us.

Thank you again, Iñaki. I look forward to experiencing Andre & Dorine.

For tickets to the live performances of André & Dorine through June 19, 2022; click on the button below: