Gran Thetro Falla. Of course, the answer is in the question. And not only that.
Yesterday, I visited the Grand Théâtre Falla in Place Fragela, named after the wealthy Syrian merchant from Cadiz's heyday who built the unique four-tower building facing the port, now a hotel that las guiritanas recommend: CASA DE LAS CUATRO TORRES .
G.T.F to read F.T.G
I decided to follow in the footsteps of guide Jesus Carillo, because he's a Gaditan with a passion for history and popular culture.
Originally, G.T.F comes from F.T.G for "Fiestas Típicas Gaditanas". Fiestas Típicas Gaditanas". Jesus tells us.
In an article in the "Diario de Cádiz", I discovered the facebook account of Paco Mesa, the retired theater janitor.
He is one of the strong personalities of Cádiz theater to whom Dani Pradotti, a Gaditan influencer who values his city and its culture, paid tribute during Carnaval 2023.
Under the umbrella title "Memoria de Falla", Paco Mesa recounts countless anecdotes, from an actor's whim to the disappointment of a technician who plunges an illustrious Spanish actress into the dark in the middle of a performance.
And here's what he has to say about the three letters G.T.F in a logo that can be found on T-shirts, pens...
I translate:
What few people know is that this brand was created by Luis de la Vega Romero, head of theater machinery for thirty years. A humble man who never bothered to have his creations recorded. He also designed the theater's acoustic chamber, a design that has also been copied by major theaters in Spain. He created and popularized these initials so that they could be projected onto the Falla Theatre's stage curtain during intermissions. And most important of all: the three letters were F.T.G, meaning "Fiestas Típicas Gaditanas" (Typical Gaditan Fiestas), not "Gran Teatro Falla" (Great Falla Theater). Luis, who still lives and invents today, created them at that time. When the theater reopened in 1990, someone noticed the coincidence of the initials, and the same logo used for the old "Fiestas Tíxicas" began to be projected on the curtain.
What's behind G.T.F., or rather F.T.G., the "Fiestas Típicas Gaditanas"?
The Gran Teatro Falla is the place to be for Carnival.
Carnival runs in the veins of Gaditans. Every year, many of them line up to reserve their seats.
They shout in "gaditano puro" (pure gaditan), difficult to understand even for non-native Spaniards.
A powerful political weapon of protest.
Carnival in the Falla theater at the time it represented the " Fiestas Típicas Gaditanas ", meant more freedom to shout at Franco's mustache.
F.T.G, the acronym for a strong popular art: Carnival, the only carnival in Spain tolerated under Franco.
3 letters of false self-righteousness to make people swallow the pill of Carnival's existence...
In February, the theater vibrates to the playlets and songs of protest, mockery and love that tell the story of Cadiz; the Gaditan mood expresses itself and makes its claims in shared laughter with an audience that is just as much an actor, and whose presence is expected to be loud and clear. A definition of popular art.
Jesus didn't forget this during his visit. He promotes responsible, local tourism. It seemed only natural that he should value his Carnival compatriots.
Spoil Alert.
➽ Follow his tour to understand what I mean and discover the theater from the basements to the chicken coop (or "paraíso" in Spanish; another image.)
From F.T.G to G.T.F then GOBO
Continuing to pull the thread, I read Fede Fuertes Fuentes's comment, still on facebook under Dani Pradotti's account.
The GOBO ( GOes Before Optics) is required to project a logo.
In stage language, it refers to a metal plate cut with a specific pattern (in this case, the letters G.T.F). This pattern can be inserted into a projector to project an image, usually a mechanical photograph or laser cut.
Gaditans certainly love stories, laughing and rising above the tragic.
Above all, they have the art of passing them on. A duty to remember.
This is another reason why las guiritanas love Cadiz and its province.
