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All about theatre hopping

Many companies, directors and artists alternate between different venues in the upcoming season aiming to make the most of audiences and maximise ticket sales

Many companies with venues also try their luck in other places The productions of Sala Flyhard always have double lives
Mario Gas will alternate as actor at Akadèmia and return to La Gleva Author, actor and director Roc Esquius has 3 projects in 3 venues

Barcelona has more productions than venues for them. So it comes as no surprise that the Dagoll Dagom, Tricicle and Anexa companies should come together to share a theatre (Teatre Poliorama, on La Rambla). In the 1990s, the appearance of alternative venues increased this pressure, as many artistic directors wanted to put on their productions. This reality (which continues in new venues, such as La Gleva, Badabadoc, Vilella or Maldà, to mention a few) created links so that companies like Los Pelones always premiere in the Tantarantana theatre or the Titzina company in the Jove Teatre Regina. These days, the theatre is promiscuous. Many companies that have venues also try their luck in other places, and artists alternate venues in the same season. They tend to be short-lived, but it is a formula that maximises ticket revenues. Despite the huge amount of production, this promiscuity does not make most of the plays that premiere any less precarious.

Maldà’s Els Pirates at Akadèmia

Els Pirates top the bill at the Malda theatre for the seventh year in a row. They will premiere a new play, Boira a les orelles, in the theatre in March, but will also spend Christmas at the Akadèmia theatre, with La mascarada, a reworking of Molière’s Le Bourgeois gentilhomme. Last year, they also performed at the Escenari Joan Brossa, a space with a larger capacity than their usual venue.

Brossa’s Projecte Ingenu

Projecte Ingenu is a similar case. Marc Chornet is the new artistic director of the Escenari Brossa theatre and, while preparing a new play, Aquest vers és el present, before that, in November, to celebrate five years since their founding they will revisit the Shakespeare trilogy at the Akadèmia: Hamlet (which they premiered at the Atrium), Romeo and Juliet, and the Tempest-inspired Vaig ser Pròsper (performed at the Brossa). Chornet will also premiere, with Anna Maria Ricart, Flors carnívores at the Brossa.

La Flyhard debuts at Versus

The productions of Sala Flyhard always have double lives. For example, a new production, #Lifespoiler, is opening at the Versus Glòries theatre. Flyhard itself sees the return of Roc Esquius’ Sàpiens, and for March and April, La caixa by Carmen Marfà and Yago Alonso. Also, the same team can be seen in Ovelles at the Villaroel theatre. The debut of Flyhard at Versus aims to become a regular feature if the attendance justifies it. In fact, Jordi Casanovas and his team arrived in Barcelona in the same venue when he directed Ever Blanchet. That opened the doors of Javier Daulte’s Villarroel.

Ruta 40 at Lliure, Maldà, Brossa

The new Teatre Lliure under Joan Carles Martel champions companies like La Calòrica (which recovers Feísima enfermedad and premieres Artefactes musicals), as well as La Ruta 40 (which returns to Cúbit to present a new play by Ferran Dordal). Yet, from February the company will move to Maldà, with Sacarina by Davide Carnevali.

Pulpe at Beckett and Tantarantana

Denise Duncan is the resident writer at the Sala Beckett theatre this season. She is also a director and author in La Pulpe Teatro. This company will continue to be very active as one of the companies in El cicló creative project at the Tantarantana.

‘Qui ets?’ at Almeria

The Gataro company, at the Almeria, has still not revealed what its new production will be. Last year, it celebrated 20 years with a production of the musical play, Poe. The Almeria will also put on a fourth season of the musical, Autónomos, but above all a production of Qui ets? By Màrius Serra, which took the Espai Lliure by storm last year.

Elena tuny of the Akadèmia at the Arnau Itinerant

Actor and director Elena Fortuny has a busy season. With La Danesa company she is part of the production of Assaig sobre lalucidesa at Akadèmia, while in the same theatre she will direct the Vintana Teatre in Nathalie Sarraute’s Per un sí o per un no. She is also preparing a project with the Arnau Itinerant collective, which aims to keep the Teatre Arnau alive while it is being renovated.

From Gleva to Sala Beckett

Berta Prieto and Lola Rosales made debuts as authors last year with Chinabum, at La Gleva, as part of Aura al Pou. This autumn they will put on Fuck you modern family, directed by Anna Serrano, at Sala Beckett.

Epidèmia, from TGB to Maldà

The Epidèmia theatre came straight from the Institut del Teatre to appear on the scene last year. After performing 9 to 5 at the Teatre Gaudí Barcelona (TGB), they did a new version at Maldà. At the TGB they also did Bed & breakfast, based on Els Amics de les Arts’ songs. In April, they will try their hand at the musical Mistela Candela Sarsuela at Maldà.

La Llarga at Sala Beckett

La Llarga premiered the show Bruels at the Espai Lliure in the Grec festival, after winning the Institut del Teatre’s Adrià Gual prize. Now, they have found a place for the season in the Sala Beckett.

Clara Peya at Maldà and Atrium

Pianist Clara Peya is preparing music for Una habitació buida at Maldà, under the direction of Joan Maria Segura. As a member of Les Impuxibles, Peya last year premiered Suite TOC núm. 6, which will be at this year’s Temporada Alta festival. In November, with Marc Rosich, they will present a new version of Víctor Català’s La infanticida at Atrium.

From cinema to Sala Beckett

Marta Buchaca, who recently saw her play Litus released as a film, will be back in Sala Beckett this year with Rita. Recently, she has also tried her hand as a writer for young people (Playoff, in Madrid) and families (a version of Alice in Wonderland that will return to the Teatre del Romea). The author’s work has appeared in numerous theatres, such as Versus, Villarroel, TNC, Romea, Bonnemaison/La cuina and Lliure/Flyhard.

Utzet at Eòlia, Maldà, Biblioteca

Ferran Utzet made his debut as a director at the Biblioteca de Catalunya. Since then, he has presented new work at the venue. Meanwhile, in April at Maldà, Utzet will direct El silenci dels telers, an adaptation of the book by Assumpta Montellà.

Gas: Gleva, Romea, Akadèmia

Mario Gas will alternate his role as actor at Akadèmia (Maestro Fellini) and will likely return to La Gleva, (the programme has still not been released). Gas will also direct Viejo amigo Cierón at Romea, while repeating A casa (based on Tony Kushner’s Homebody/ Kabul). Gas will also direct L’home de la flor als llavis at Akadèmia.

From Dau al Sec to Versus

Mercè Managuerra used to be the artistic director of Akadèmia. When she left, she set up the Dau al Sec project, and has decided to premiere Konrad Zschiedrich’s adaptation of The Merchant of Venice (El mercader de Venècia) at Versus Glòries in November.

Akadèmia, Temporada Alta, Versus

Mònica Bofill premiered Paradisos oceànics, based on Aurora Bertrana’s experiences, in the Grec festival. This work will soon be on at the Temporada Alta festival (and most likely in a theatre later). Meanwhile, Bofill joins writer Ana Maria Ricart to direct Obsolescència programada at the Versus Glòries in July.

Esquius at Versus, Tanta, Flyhard

Author, actor and director Roc Esquius has three projects in three venues. His Sàpiens will be on at La Flyhard, he will premiere Byanko (the first play he will direct that he did not write) at Versus Glòries, while the Dara company will put on Els Pastorets de la Martina at Christmas at Tantarantana. ’Tanta’ also has the RBLS festival and Jorge Yamam-Serrano’s new play: Revelació 1.0.

Tarantino’s double lives

If we are to believe Twitter, there will be a new chance to see Antonio Tarantino’s Stabat mater at La Gleva, which debuted last year at the TNC. Also, Les vespres de la beata verge, the first of a two-part work premiered at Sala Beckett that ran for a season at Akadèmia in 2016, will return for a brief stint at Sala Beckett. It is a similar case to Ocaña, reina de las Ramblas, which opens for four days at Sala Beckett before moving to the Escenari Brossa in March.

Apunta Teatre, permanent

The Versus Glòries theatre came under new artistic direction last season with Apunta Teatre, who put on four productions in the same theatre. This year they are continuing in the same vein, starting with extending El funeral de Mary-Lin, and followed by the premiere of Feliç Diwali (by Xavi Morató) as well as Byanko, Gustafsson R60 and Obsolescència programada. Also at Versus, La niña bonita and Trama have become resident companies. La niña will premiere Andy y los huérfanos, after doing El camp and Montag 451, which can now be seen at Brossa. As for Trama, they will put on Gustaffson R60, while their previous pieces Vernissatge move from the Maldà to Joan Brossa and ASAP to the Atrium.

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