"The Kleenex culture does not interest us at all"

BarcelonaEls Teatres del Farró –comprising La Gleva and La Fàbrica– aim to consolidate the production and co-production of small and medium-format shows with remarkable artistic value. "We are not interested in 'kleenex culture' at all – stressed Albert de la Torre, their artistic director, this Monday during the season's presentation. If we believe a production is extraordinary, it should be seen again. It cannot be that we let it die."

In this regard, of the dozen proposals that can be seen until the summer of 2027, the Beethoven by Xavier Albertí, in which the director and actor will once again play the German composer (on stage from September 18 to October 19); the I am the worm signed and directed by Ferran Dordal, which attempts to bring, in the words of its creator, "the complex figure of Jacint Verdaguer closer to today's viewer" (from October 27 to November 20), and Paper roses, in which actor and director Pep Munné revives the figure and work of the Barcelona poet Jaime Gil de Biedma (from December 1st to January 10th). "When a poet truly reaches you and tells you many things about life, as happened to me with Gil de Biedma, they teach you lessons over the years – Munné has admitted –. It is a joy to be able to return to this work, even though this will surely be the last time I do it".

"Every generation kills the father – Albert de la Torre recalled –. This means that if you don't know who your father is, you can't kill him: that's why we combine programming with long-standing figures and others more recent. We are not a theatre of chariots or of brats". This year, at Teatres del Farró, a production based on the story "In the penal colony of Franz Kafka, directed by Dobrin Plamenov (from October 1 to November 1), and a work by Thomas Bernhard, The force of habit, directed by Ramon Simó (from November 18 to December 20). "The tone of comedy prevails here, even though he continues to be an author who makes us uncomfortable – warns Simó–. The force of habit is Bernhard's most important play, and it has the grace that, in addition, it is quite funny".

From Lorca to the 'wonder' of being a mother

Among the younger proposals, the monologue Rasa, by Sergi Ducet, which premiered at the Grec Festival and which La Gleva is reviving from September 23 to October 18; Federico's dreams, the first work by Pau Sintes, formed from unfinished theatrical texts by Federico García Lorca and which has as its "objective to travel into the poet's subconscious", according to the author, and The old mother, by Pablo Macho; these latter two, planned for 2027. "The monologue, which will be performed by Emma Arquillué, talks about the doubt of being a mother or not now, or leaving it for later – explains Macho, who is still writing the play. It plays with two concepts, with the wonder of being a mother and with the possibility of becoming a old sea.

The Teatres del Farró have also announced the launch of a contemporary dance festival, which will be held from September 6 to 12. "We want to bring quality contemporary dance closer to the entire neighborhood, with proposals designed for audiences who are not necessarily familiar with it," assured Albert de la Torre. The program will open on September 6 with "Fin, by Marc Fernández, a piece inspired by the imaginary of the casteller world. It will continue on September 10th with Scotoma, which reflects on a society dominated by the so-called attention economy, and 360, which explores the turn, an element present in numerous traditional dances, from a contemporary perspective within the Colombian context. On September 12, the festival will close with Miñoso Brothers, an Afro-Cuban dance performance that begins as a participatory class, and Exit, which combines dance, live sound, and dual-channel headphones, allowing each spectator to choose their own experience.