“To be or not to be”: the series that was born with the aim of looking for references for trans people
«To be or not to be» is a dramatic comedy for young people, set in a stage high school class. Among his students, stands out Joel, a 16-year-old trans teenager, who dreams of becoming a great performer, while facing the emotional challenges of his recently begun transition. The young trans actor Andrew Puig brings the character to life in one of the first works of his career.
Created and written by coral cross and directed by Martha Pahissa, is the first RTVE production that has a trans protagonist, a clear commitment to give visibility to the group. The team of the series was advised by specialists to treat with sensitivity "all that has not been told much on television and series”, reflects the leading actor, who came across a script “very well polished” about which he had no complaint.
You have to go back to the summer of 2019 for this story to be born. Specifically, on a day when Coral has a conversation as a friend, she explains that her son has just begun the transition, the process of changing the gender presentation, at that time he was exactly fourteen years old and shared the same age as his firstborn. After hearing this testimony, she realized that her situation was similar to that of many people and that an explanation was necessary.
"I immediately realized that there were no previous references and that there was no trans boy starring in a youth series. I thought it was very important that the kids who were going through the same experience had a reference”, explains its creator.
lack of referents
To shape the story, he has had the professional advice of the member of the trans collective, the educator and psychologist Damian Diaz. "It's better to have someone who speaks to you from their own experience, both their own and from the experience of having worked with so many young trans guys. So for me, that was basic to feel the security of being able to delve into the subject”, commented the creator.
Later, when they were in the pre-production phase, the sociologist Miquel Missé. His input was vital, because he is an expert on the subject. “He did something very valuable for all of us, which was to give an online talk to all the members of the team, so that we all had the basics on the subject we were addressing and understood very well the story we wanted to tell.Coral stated.
The series is now available on the RTVE Play platform.
