Barcelona's smallest theater is getting bigger

BarcelonaAt number 15 Allada-Vermell Street, in the heart of the Born district, there is a narrow door that invites you to pause. If you go through it, you discover the smallest theater in Barcelona: La Puntual. With a capacity of between 46 and 60 people, it is one of the most unique venues in the city. Puppets, marionettes, and shadow puppets have been the stars of the four walls that have housed the theater for two decades, which has become a meeting point for children, families, schools, and artists from around the world.

On Friday, September 23, 2005, at seven in the evening and in the midst of the La Mercè festival, La Puntual opened its doors for the first time. It did so in a space that had been, since the 1980s, the creative workshop of the La Fanfarra company and which, for a time, also served as the warehouse for the now-defunct Malic Theater. The founder of both projects, Eugenio Navarro, decided to give it a new lease of life and turn it into the only puppet theater with a regular program in the city of Barcelona. "There's no better occasion to inaugurate the theater than the city's festivities," he thought, and so he did, with one of his own shows.

However, La Puntual isn't just a theater. "What I wanted was to have my own place to show my shows and invite companies to create a space for exchange and communication," recalls Eugenio Navarro, who, despite being retired, spends hours in the workshop preparing new productions. There are no screens or large sets here, but rather objects that come to life in the hands of the puppeteers and spark the audience's imagination, whether they're three-year-olds or parents and grandparents reliving childhood memories.

From a personal project to a family adventure

The origins of La Puntual are closely linked to the Malic Theater, founded in 1984 by the three members of the puppet company La Fanfarra—Mariona Masgrau, Toni Rumbau, and Eugenio Navarro. For eighteen years, it was a benchmark for puppetry in Barcelona until the partners decided to close it and go their separate ways. Navarro took over what had been the puppet company's workshop and took the opportunity to realize a long-held dream: having her own theater in which to perform her shows.

Over the years, the generational change came naturally. Néstor Navarro, Eugenio's son, grew up among artists, puppets, stages, and van tours, until in 2013 he decided to leave his job at Barcelona City Hall to dedicate himself fully to the theater.

Today he is the executive director of La Puntual, and combines the management and production of shows with artistic creation. "At first, many told me I was crazy to leave a stable job, but I've never regretted it. Seeing children's eyes shine during a performance or how grandparents get excited about a puppet is worth more than anything else," explains Néstor Navarro.

Néstor Navarro recalls that the summer of 2005, with the preparations for the opening, was "very hectic, but a lot of fun." Before becoming involved with the La Puntual project, he spent a long time in Mexico, where he participated with the University of Monterrey theater company. Since then, he has premiered adaptations of plays and written his own productions that have enjoyed long careers on stage, such as The shadow of Pinocchio, who will be 11 years old, or Pipa, the wonder puppet, a new Catalan glove puppet, a work that has just turned nine years old.

"When creating shows, we always think about how they can stand the test of time, both in terms of drama and material, because humor and society change, and we need to adapt," says Navarro Jr. His shows have traveled around the world, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, the United Kingdom, Brazil, India, Colombia, and Canada, to participate in international puppet festivals.

The art and passion of puppeteers

What fascinates Eugenio Navarro most about the puppeteering profession is the concept of play, being able to make the audience laugh, and surprise them. "Being on stage is like an endless game," reiterates Néstor, who explains that the audience is different in each performance, and this allows them to nuance a word, round out a gag, or change a joke. For his part, what he enjoys most about being a puppeteer is making the audience laugh and also moving them, but above all, making them enjoy themselves and helping them escape the routine. "When the performance is over, people give back to you with applause and nice comments," explains Néstor Navarro. And it is this direct feedback from children and families "that is the most satisfying part of being a puppeteer," he assures.

"The driving force behind La Puntual is how the children experience it," Néstor summarizes. Some burst out laughing and participate by calling out the characters' names, others remain silent, immersed in the story. The grandparents, on the other hand, add another layer of emotion: "When the grandfather or grandmother approaches the end of the play and tells you that they have traveled back 60 or 70 years and rediscovered the child they still have hidden, it's very moving," father and son agree. This ability to connect generations is, for them, the greatest magic of puppetry.

Beyond the plays

Upon entering the theater, we would normally find a small audience seating area. However, on some days, a table takes up a large portion of the space because in the afternoon, a group of children are invited to participate in a puppetry workshop. Children can build their own puppets and discover that puppetry is one of the most complete performing arts: it combines visual creativity, storytelling, voice, movement, and humor. The goal of these activities is to keep the imagination and culture alive for puppetry.

La Puntual, from the heart of Barcelona to the world

Every year, La Puntual hosts around 250 performances. The repertoire is varied and designed for family audiences, but also includes international companies from Europe, America, and Asia, presenting glove puppet shows, shadow puppets, and hybrid offerings. Their productions have traveled around the world and participated in international festivals, but the heart of the project remains in this small, intimate, and cozy venue in the Born district.

La Puntual's audience, ranging from three to seven years old, extends far beyond Barcelona families: many of the spectators are foreign residents looking to share with their children a tradition that is deeply rooted in their countries. British, German, Argentinian, Ukrainian, and Russian nationals often fill the theater's seats, proving that the art of puppetry is a universal language that needs no translation.

Twenty years after first raising its curtain, La Puntual has become much more than a theater: it's Barcelona's home of puppetry, where Eugenio's experience—next year he'll celebrate 50 years as a puppeteer—and Néstor's new vision coexist.

The La Puntual project has established itself as a cultural landmark in the Catalan capital. "Now the challenge is to survive, grow without losing our essence, and maintain the highest possible quality programming," explains Néstor. "I'm very happy to have created what we've done," concludes Eugenio, pleased to see how this personal dream has now become an international benchmark in the art of puppetry and marionettes.