Laia Giralt leads L’Ossa d’Ordino revival as Bombeta

Laia Giralt, 33, a resident of Ordino and a self-described lover of her parish’s culture and traditions, has taken part in the L’Ossa d’Ordino performance since it was revived in 2017. This year’s festival returns with Giralt in the role of Bombeta, the head of the dallaires.

The play dramatizes what could be the last bear killed in Ordino: a group of dallaires find the animal and try to free the town from the threat. The performance is full of satire and humour and addresses local, national and political concerns.

Giralt says she has played many parts — “even a maid” — but feels a particular affinity for the dallaire roles. The characters range from the know-it-all to the one who always seeks to please the master; this edition she plays Bombeta, the dallaires’ leader.

She highlights a generational shift in this year’s production: younger dallaires have taken responsibility for the dialogues themselves. On current issues, Giralt says the show will touch on changes to bus lines, foreign investment in tourist apartments and its impact on heritage, and the controversy surrounding the head of the bear, although she declined to go into detail on that last point.

Preparations begin about two months in advance. Organisers divide into working groups for brainstorming, draft the text in smaller teams, then call participants for a read-through and assign roles taking each person’s motivations into account. Rehearsals follow. Giralt describes the process as open: the dialogues are shaped by the ideas, imaginations and concerns of all involved.

Topics can come from anyone in the community. Giralt gives the example of parks: a neighbour’s observation that there seem to be more dog parks than spaces for children made its way into the script. Even the youngest participants contribute — they perform a piece called the “awakening of the little bear,” expressing issues such as school problems or complaints about a lack of green areas.

Giralt says she loves taking part since the revival: “I love doing village life. It’s fantastic.” She values sharing experiences and anecdotes with people of different ages, the mutual help that emerges, and the communal aspect of the event.

“Times change, political groups change, but satire remains relevant,” she adds, arguing that recurring social problems are what keep the farce alive.