Often, a vocational love for the theater awakens far from the trappings of grand premieres. Sometimes it springs from parents who are deeply involved in the arts. in amateur theatreOthers are found in school performances that leave even the most skeptical student speechless, or thanks to enthusiastic grandparents who, on Christmas afternoon, abandoned the dishes to wash and decided to take all their grandchildren to see the Pastorets (Christmas plays). These are small stories behind which lies a great Catalan playwright, director, or actor who saw the seed of theater sprout in the theater of their town or city. These spaces garner extraordinary public esteem, but paradoxically, they are the ones that receive the least investment, the least programming, and the least institutional support.

For the second year in a row, Barcelona's theaters closed the year with over 3 million spectators (3,120,964 to be exact) and €98 million in revenue, 6% more than in 2024. This makes 2025 the best year since the Association of Theater Companies of Catalonia (ADETC) was founded (excluding civic centers and municipal theaters outside the metropolitan area). Theater occupancy was above 64%, similar to last year.

Catalan theater is experiencing a period of euphoria. The 2024-25 season has consolidated and expanded the record of the previous year, in which for the first time in history the number of performances surpassed the three million viewersThis season, 3,133,494 theatergoers attended the theater, which is 108,467 more than the previous year (a 4% increase), and the box office was also a record, with €94,125,259 (€1.8 million more, a 2% increase). Theaters had an average occupancy rate of 64% last season.