Jeroni Obrador brings together theater, neurobiology and acting in «Nou el llum nou. Actuar Blai Bonet», a show that shows how emotions are built on stage and raises what is known about them.
His work «La guerra de las imágenes», of which the monologue of Marte forms part, became a symbol of the 15M and other international movements. For fifteen years, his readings in more than seventeen languages have brought to networks and to squares around the world the demand «Yes to theater» and the defense of culture.
Rodo Gener and Queralt Albinyana star in the staging, which premieres on November 6 and 7 in Santanyí, Mallorca. The production plans performances in other locations on the island, Valencia and Tenerife, and prepares an English version.
It is known that algorithms influence what is seen, bought and shared. Is it also known how to recognize what happens in the body when one feels fear, rage or joy? That question is behind Nou el llum nou. Actuar Blai Bonet, the new show by the playwright and director Jeroni Obrador, which will premiere on November 6 and 7 at the Teatre Principal de Santanyí, within the official program of the Any Blai Bonet.
The production of TShock Cultura Emocional, starring Rodo Gener and Queralt Albinyana, with the participation of Conchi Almeda, brings to the stage Obrador’s work on acting and neurobiology of emotions. Blai Bonet’s texts serve as a starting point to show how an emotion modifies the performer’s body, his voice and the meaning of what he says.
Humor and the conflict between the characters lead a function in which the public can participate from their seats or follow what happens as an observer. The proposal makes it possible to see part of the work that usually remains inside a rehearsal room and raises what it can be useful for outside of it.
Obrador, who has developed this research in different countries, argues that knowing emotional responses is a pending task of the 21st century. The expansion of artificial intelligence adds urgency to that idea: while technology gains capacity to analyze human behavior and influence individual decisions, many people still do not understand how their own emotions work.
A general rehearsal with pending matters
Raquel arrives at a general rehearsal overwhelmed by anxiety after working on the character of Elvira Skiud. She has a secret that she doesn’t know whether to reveal and must meet with Tomàs, her ex-partner. He wants to take advantage of the occasion to explore with her and with the spectators a theatrical working tool based on current knowledge of neurobiology.
But the rehearsal does not follow the planned course. The shared story of the characters slips into the demonstration and ends up turning it into a discussion about their bonds, their contradictions, and the way they manage what they feel as actors.
The performers embody other performers, so the audience witnesses both the conflict and the physical and emotional transformations that accompany it. The staging goes through six basic emotions and ends in a closing centered on joy and well-being. The music, recorded voice, and projections are part of that journey.
Emotional culture, a pending subject
Obrador began this research in 2007. Since then she has developed it through workshops, university education, and scenic experiences, until shaping her method INTELSOUL® and the genre that she calls Ànima. In this work, the genre itself is also put up for discussion.
Her approach draws a parallel: if learning to read and write was a fundamental conquest of the 20th century, learning to recognize emotions should occupy an equivalent place in the 21st. Acting, in her view, offers tools for that learning, with applications in everyday life, understanding behavior, and resolving conflicts.
Her career includes research, training, and exhibition activities in spaces linked to Teatre Lliure de Barcelona, el Festival de Manizales and the Universidad de Buenos Aires, among others. She has shared her work in Spain, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Argentina, Mexico, and Scotland, and at festivals such as Brújula al Sur, in Cali, and Santiago Off, in Chile.
Fifteen years of «Yes to theater»
Another precedent in Obrador’s path for defending theater as a social tool is her monologue of Mars, turned into an emblem of 15M and other international movements. For fifteen years now, its reading has been promoted in more than seventeen languages under the claim «Yes to theater».
That link with social movements accompanies his proposal to extend emotional culture. With Nou el llum nou. Actuar Blai Bonet, the playwright once again raises the question of what acting can contribute to citizens: knowing better what is felt, developing empathy, and facing conflicts by seeking the common well-being.
Tour and English version
After the premiere, the production plans to visit Llubí, Lloret de Vistalegre, Son Servera, Ses Salines, Felanitx, Calvià and Selva, among other municipalities on Mallorca. It also has scheduled performances in Valencia and Tenerife during this season.
The company is working on an English-language version, proposed as a co-production, with its sights set on Ireland and the goal of presenting it in Edinburgh in the summer of 2027.
The production is handled by TShock Cultura Emocional, with dramaturgy and direction by Jeroni Obrador with stage texts by Blai Bonet. The show is performed by Rodo Gener, Queralt Albinyana and Conchi Almeda. Adrià Acker will be in charge of music, Joan Vidal of lighting and sound design, and Miquel Àngel Rayó of audiovisual design. Administration is handled by Francesca Alomar.
The project has the collaboration of Ajuntament de Santanyí, the Consell de Mallorca and Fàbrica de Creació Tantarantana, as well as support from Àtic, and is included in the official program of the Any Blai Bonet of the Fundació Mallorca Literària. Its absolute premiere will take place on 6 and 7 November 2026 at the Teatre Principal de Santanyí, Mallorca.