La barca dels afligits : Marina en un acte

Set on a windswept beach on Catalonia’s eastern coast, the play opens with a ragged crew of dockworkers hauling a newly arrived boat. Gibert and Quirze, two seasoned palers, exchange sharp jokes and improvised whistles, their banter framing a community that lives at the mercy of tide and trade. Into this lively tableau steps Ventureta, a young woman whose curiosity about the “boat of the afflicted” hints at hidden grief lingering among the workers.

As the tide pulls the boat nearer, the characters—Cinto the ageing patron, his restless sons, and Mero’s family—reveal a web of debts, rivalries and whispered rumors that thicken the air. The dialogue crackles with regional humor and a touch of melancholy, painting a vivid portrait of a community bound by hardship yet still capable of laughter. Listeners are drawn into the suspense of what awaits the distressed vessel, a mystery that promises both social critique and heartfelt drama without giving away the resolution.