Elena Carmona: "Being from outside has allowed me to take the risk of opening the Municipal Theatre in Girona"

Hidden behind Girona's City Hall, through a narrow passageway, stands the city's majestic Municipal Theatre. Locals consider it perfectly normal to access it through a dead-end alley next to a large bicycle parking area. But for those who have never been, it will surely be difficult to find. You have to cross the entire City Hall courtyard to reach the beautiful staircase that leads to the auditorium. This challenging entrance, not advertised from any point, embodies the long-standing inertia of a public theatre that Elena Carmona (Córdoba, 1981) has been working tirelessly for the past four years to open up beyond the city center. "We are a theatre open to the public and its surroundings, committed to contemporary creation," she explains passionately. "We don't want to be a closed space, but rather a porous one, a place for direct listening." Originally from Córdoba and a journalism graduate, Carmona moved to Barcelona two decades ago, where she trained and specialized in the management and direction of cultural institutions. After ten years as the artistic coordinator of El Graner, the creative hub managed by the Mercat de les Flors, the pandemic led her to fall in love with the Alt Empordà region. It was in this context that the first public competition was launched to direct the Girona Municipal Theatre after years of being managed by city council staff. She had a very clear mission: to open the theatre to the city and democratize culture. And Carmona's project, with its clear commitment to reaching out to neighborhoods and championing the arts, won. "I arrived wearing a mask. I knew Girona mainly from Temporada Alta," she recalls. "But sometimes I think I was very naive because I didn't really know the people of Girona." The Escénit

Carmona's first press conference was in the summer of 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, to present a series that marked his initial declaration of intent: Escénit. What for years had been an open-air circus program confined to picturesque spots in the Barri Vell (Old Quarter) suddenly expanded throughout the city—including the humblest neighborhoods—with free, high-quality performing arts shows by companies from all over Europe. For example, residents of the Central Park area, near the train station, enjoyed a performance by the Belgian duo Ludo and Arsène. parkour through the main light structures or balconies in the area. "The fact of coming from outside with a fresh perspective, few prejudices, and a clear idea of the project backed by winning the City Council competition, allowed me to take a risk and launch a project that someone from here wouldn't have dared to attempt," he explains.

Pallol Square

In this opening up, spaces have played a significant role. While the main entrance of the Municipal Theatre is rather dark and disconcerting, the back door opens onto a beautiful square, a hidden gem of the Old Quarter. This is Plaça del Pallol, which has already become another venue for contemporary performing arts events in the city. Likewise, Carmona has also expanded the Municipal Theatre's programming far beyond the traditional plays to which the traditional audience was accustomed, while with Temporada Alta (High Season) they are seeking a collaboration to bring medium and large-scale productions outside of the autumn season. "I end up finding that I have to look for what they aren't doing," he explains.

The Theatre Bar

On December 9th, a program will be presented, some details of which have already been released. At the end of January, a successful play from Madrid's Teatro de la Abadía will be performed: the first theatrical adaptation of Carmen Martín Gaite's work. Little Red Riding Hood in Manhattan Under the direction of Lucía Miranda. Another new feature will be that parents who wish to do so can use the City Council's babysitting service for performances that end before 10:00 p.m. The theater bar, which is currently closed, will have a small reception area for children aged 1 to 12.

Building management

After the whirlwind of the first few years, during which a new brand and logo were created "in record time," the programming was revamped, new series were consolidated, and new uses of space were explored, Carmona has now set two objectives for his two-year extension as director, which runs until 2027: "To make theater accessible to people who don't know it" and also to improve it. The curtain has just been replaced, and the seating area will be renovated soon. Along the way, he will also work to consolidate the performing arts festival in the Girona region, "Esto al pueblo no le gustará" (This won't please the people), which brings together audiences and artists.

Carmona insists that all these changes would not be possible without the support of a public entity. This is common practice in the management of "large theaters" but less so in small towns and medium-sized cities. He affirms that he has had "the support of the City Council," but above all, "the confidence" that he was carrying out a project that was already written and approved. That's why he's calling for "recognizing the value of someone from outside" being able to direct a city's theater thanks to their experience, resume, and presented project. Change and openness to the public are needed "based on viability." "The Municipal Theater's finances add up, but only by offering many more activities," he concludes.