The Gronholm method

The four characters of Jordi Galceran's play have come to the offices of a major corporation with he intention of being interviewed for a job. Each expects to win the position of a top manager and each is certain that he or she will be interviewed individually. But the four candidates soon find out that they will be interacting only with each other, although they are at the whim of unseen interviewers whose strange commands they must obey. On the other hand, not all four of them are job candidates, either…

The more these individuals reveal themselves to us, the less we are inclined to believe them. A confession uttered just moments ago turns out to be a calculated lie. The purpose here is to determine the value of each candidate, and the methods for making that determination grow increasingly devious. This play by the famous Catalunian author Jordi Galceran is a psychological and intellectual thriller as well as an ironic commentary on the rules of contemporary “corporate culture“. Some may find echoes of Nikolai Gogol's “The Gamblers“ in “The Gronholm Method,“ some may see references to the popular television show „Mafia”. But until the play has ended, no one will be sure of the true nature of its four characters and their situation.

„The contemporary system of management does everything possible to remove the human factor in order to fully formalize human relations”, says director Javor Gardev. „And yet, the more such approaches are undertaken, the more important the emotional factor becomes. It so happens that all important decisions made in such dehumanized surroundings are invariably made under the influence of emotions”.

Supported by The Cervantes Institute in Moscow.