Culture is moving towards more European timetables

BarcelonaTime was time, the schedules for stage shows and musicals barely matched those of public transport. It was an unwritten rule. Thus, in cities like Barcelona, they frequented events that started at 10:30 p.m. and ended just before the last metro line arrived. Little by little, theaters and concert halls moved their schedules forward, but on an individual basis, without any structural plan. The National Theater of Catalonia (TNC) was one of the first venues to move up the start time of performances. "In the 2006-2007 season, we went from 9 p.m. to 8 p.m., and we didn't have any problems," recalls Mònica Campos, executive director of the TNC. Ten years later, in the 2017-2018 season, and in response to requests from some audience members, the theater decided that Wednesday performances would begin at 7 p.m. Once again, the test was successful and the audience's acceptance was "total." According to Campos, the goal is to adapt to the European reality, and for the earlier schedules to be part of a broader strategy to facilitate work-life balance and put an end to very long working days. "It's the other countries that are doing it right," he says. In fact, 7 p.m. is one of the standard times on European stages. Step by step, the TNC has deepened this trend: in 2019, they moved Saturday performances to 7 p.m., and for the 2020-2021 season, Friday performances as well. That is, only on Thursdays will it maintain 8 p.m. (and on Sundays, 6 p.m.). The experience has been positive and has not negatively impacted employment.

The same has happened at the Palau de la Música, which three seasons ago moved the start time of its own concerts forward by half an hour: from 8:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. "It was all very democratic, because it responded to a public request that was put to a vote. And it went so well that we haven't had a single complaint," recalls Joan Oller, general director of the Palau de la Música. These changes, which according to Oller "are here to stay," have repercussions on other sectors, such as the restaurant industry, because the show doesn't compete with dinnertime, but above all, on health. "We must move towards this. We must sleep at night," says Campos.