# Tricicle

Tricicle is a physical-comedy theatre company of three actors, Joan Gràcia, Paco Mir and Carles Sans. They founded the company in 1979 to perform brief sketches in the streets and at alternative venues.
At that time, the three members of Tricicle were students at Barcelona’s Institut del Teatre and specialized in pantomime and dramatic arts. In 1982, following several seasons of performances at alternative venues, they made their debut on the professional circuit at the Sala Villarroel in Barcelona with a show comprising a collection of different sketches created during their time at the so-called cafés-teatro (bars and cafés offering live performances). The show, entitled Manicomic, was both a critical and commercial success and went on to win a prize at the Sitges International Theater Festival that year.

## History

In 1982, they performed at their first professional engagement; a premiere at the Barcelona Theater "Villarroel" of their first production, Manicomic, a collection of some gags they had created over three years. That same year, they received their first professional recognition: a prize at the Sitges International Theater Festival.

### Recognition in Spain

In 1983, they met Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, which gave them the opportunity to perform a sketch on the game show Un, dos, tres... responda otra vez, where they performed a parody of Julio Iglesias' song "Soy un truhan, soy un señor".
In 1984, the show Exit premiered. The show had toured in various Spanish cities and was invited to perform the work in various countries.

### Slastic

In 1986, Tricicle premiered their third work, Slastic: a series of comic situations focusing on the world of sports. The company itself chose this work in November 2004 to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
Later, Tricicle joined with two other companies in Spain, Dagoll Dagom and Append, to found the production company "3xtr3s" (three by three). The new company, in addition to producing shows for the three companies and other groups, won Teatre Victòria, of Barcelona. The first work produced "3xtr3s" at the Victoria Theatre was "Botiga dels horrors" (The Little Shop of Horrors) of Howard Ashman, which received critical acclaim.

### Maturity

In 1992, the show premiered its fourth production: Terrific. That same year, they premiered a second TV series (Festivals) and began preparing the first short film that introduced them to the world of cinema. On August 9, 1992, they performed at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium as part of the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in their native city, Barcelona. It was a simple number with reverence and sympathy to the political leaders, including the world's most important, in the stadium. It was the first comic gag performed as part of an Olympic ceremony.
The group's activity and the constant requests from all over the world forced them to design a clone of themselves: Tricicle. They created a second company, which would be directed by themselves, and be responsible for representing their works around the world, so they could focus on other things.
Terrrific was followed in 1996 by Entretrés, which represents over three years in various cities.
In 1999, they premiered Tricicle 20, an anthology of some of their gags from their shows which commemorated the company's twentieth anniversary.
In 2002, Tricicle premiered Sit, a collection of comic situations, all involving a chair. It was performed for three months in a theater in Paris in the winter of 2004.
On November 3, 2004, they celebrated their 25th anniversary in an event that drew more than 15,000 spectators at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona. The event (co-produced with the daily newspaper Sport, which also celebrated its 25th anniversary), was called "25 + 25", and consisted of a special recreation of their most successful work, Slastic. Some athletes from and based in Spain in the previous 25 years were involved in the production (including Ángel Nieto, Miguel Indurain, Alex Corretja, Sergi Bruguera, Ronaldinho and Hristo Stoichkov), as they volunteered to perform each of the gags. Comedians including Millán Salcedo, Santiago Segura, and Pepe Rubianes performed.
As of 2005, Tricicle has made many tours around the world, including China, Tunisia, Portugal, Austria, and Argentina, while continuing to work on many projects. Meanwhile, the second company, Tricicle, is making more performances in places that Tricicle did not perform.

## Theatre

* 1982: Manicomic
* 1984: Exit
* 1986: Slastic
* 1992: Terrrific
* 1996: Entretres
* 1999: Tricicle 20
* 2002: Sit
* 2007: Garrick
* 2012: Bits
* 2017: Hits

## Film

* Features:
** 1995: Palace
* Shorts:
** 1993: Quien mal anda, mal acaba
** 1995: David
** 1996: Mendigos sin fronteras
** 1997: Polvo eres
** 2002: Sit (documentary)

## Television

* 1987: Tres Estrelles
* 1992: Fiestas populares
* 1994: Xooof!
* 1999: Pecera de BTV
* 2000–2003: Dinamita
* 2005: Teletipos
* 2005: Trilita
* 2010: Més Dinamita

## Special events

* 1992: Juegos Paralímpicos (Paralympic Games)
* 1992: Closing Ceremony of the Barcelona '92 Olympics
* 1992: Seville Expo '92
* 1993: Special Olympics
* 2004: 25 + 25

## Awards

* Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts, 2009
* Max Award of Honor, 2023