The Teatre Lliure will celebrate 50 years with Lluís Homar, Carme Portaceli and Marcos Morau

BarcelonaNext December marks 50 years since a group of artists first raised the curtain at the Teatre Lliure, in a brave venture that is still alive today. To celebrate the anniversary, the theatre's upcoming season programming will be guided by the idea of transmission and will be full of memories of the venue's history. "We have stitched together a small narrative that celebrates and recognizes the legacy of those who have preceded us, and that looks to the future. We will talk about connections, heritage, community, families, and hope," says the Lliure's director, Julio Manrique.

The season will open with The Threepenny Opera, a co-production with the Grec festival directed by Marta Pazos. The play is a nod to one of the Lliure's first productions: Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (1977), also by Bertolt Brecht. Among the events dedicated to the anniversary, there will be small gems from artists such as Cesc Gelabert, Lluís Homar, Carme Portaceli, Marcos Morau, and Josep Pons. The programming does not include the participation of director Lluís Pasqual, one of the founders of the Lliure. "We explored the possibility of Pasqual being present for the anniversary, but in the end, it hasn't materialized," explains Manrique, who does not clarify whether this decision was made before or after the statements by Judit Martín about the director. the statements by Judit Martín about the director.Within the

Autumn Flash cycle, the Lliure will host Spiegelneuronen, a show resulting from the alliance between the Swiss Stefan Kaegi—director of Rimini Protokoll—and the German choreographer Sasha Waltz, and Navegar por el Neva, by the Chilean Guillermo Calderón. After passing through Temporada Alta, Julia. 15 years later (2011-2026) by the Brazilian Christiane Jatahy and featuring Catalans Júlia Genís and Moha Amazian will arrive in Barcelona. El Conde de Torrefiel will present Lexikon, which they premiered in Madrid last year and which now comes to Barcelona.

It will also stop at the Dimanche theater, a wordless piece resulting from the fusion of the Belgian companies Focus and Chaliwaté. From the Avignon Festival, Lliure will bring Israel & Mohamed, a work by dancer Israel Galván and director Mohamed El Khatib, highly acclaimed in France. And Frenchwoman Caroline Guiela Nguyen, who was at Fabià Puigserver last year, will return with Lacrima, a choral narrative about colonialism. From Quebec will arrive Macbeth Muet, a fun adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy driven by Marie-Hélène Bélanger Dumas. In dance, Lliure becomes one of the allies of the Mercat de les Flors and will program pieces by Amala Dianor, María Muñoz, and Mal Pelo.

Local talent

After the opening show, the season will host one of the most anticipated returns: L'herència, the award-winning show about several generations of homosexuals in New York, will once again be staged in Montjuïc, at the Sala Fabià Puigserver, with Carlos Cuevas and Albert Salazar at the helm. In the Gràcia hall, the company led by Miquel Mas Fiol will have the challenge of remembering one of the Lliure's first popular hits with Tot fent 'La bella Helena', which will mirror the operetta premiered in 1979. La Ludwig Band will close the year with three concerts and songs from their latest album. In 2027, it will kick off with a production led by Victoria Luengo and Marina Salas. Together they will star in Un drama romàntic, written and directed by Madrid-born Lucía Carballal, who just a few days ago won the Max award for best theatrical direction.

The season will make space for classics with proposals such as Henry IV by Shakespeare, directed by David Selvas and starring Joan Carreras and Quim Àvila. There will be a literary adaptation, that of the novel Relíquia, by Pol Guasch, which Pablo Messiez will direct and Guillem Balart and Nausicaa Bonnín will perform, and a film adaptation: Mercè Vila Godoy will create a modern version of the film Rocco and His Brothers (Luchino Visconti, 1960), with Nil Cardoner and Marta Pérez. Xavier Bobés will present Epitaph, a scenic journey through everyday objects, designed to remember those who are no longer here.

At Espai Lliure, Manrique will revive Bouvetoya —which they premiered in full pandemic— and actor Andrew Tarbet will debut as a playwright with Polar Bear, a monologue starring himself. Clara Manyós and Quim Bigas will delve into ataxia in Nuvolosa and Susanna Barranco will explore intellectual disability with A Hurricane Advances Merrily. In Catalan dramaturgy, Grans bardisses can also be seen, directed by Llàtzer Garcia and the Quim Masó Prize 2025. The final stretch of the season will feature a show led by Gara Roda —director of Ànima and El firmament—, A Wolf's Play, by the Korean Hansol Jung.

The 50th anniversary celebrations

In addition to the autumn programming, to commemorate the five decades of the Lliure's existence, there will also be events, books, and celebrations. During the Wednesdays of November and December, four pieces will be performed in the rehearsal room. These will be works led by Carme Portaceli —who will recall the Lliure's first show, Camí de nit—, Marcos Morau and Cesc Gelabert, Josep Pons and Lluís Vidal (who will pay homage to the extinct Lliure Chamber Orchestra), and Lluís Homar.

The Lliure will stage with graduates from the Institut del Teatre Xirgu, a show by Cristina Clemente directed by Israel Solà. The Palau Robert will host an exhibition with works by five scenographers, the Lliure's foyer will feature a video projection of the theatre model made by Fabià Puigserver, and Plaça Margarida Xirgu will be the setting for a party with music and cake on October 3rd.