Three in the morning, a teenager can't stop thinking about a stranger's comment on social media. She'd like to ask her best friend for advice, but she doesn't want to wake her up. She picks up her phone and starts whispering. Eleven at night, another teenager is doing homework when a playground argument comes back to him, swirling around in his head. He trembles, he wants to text his best friend for advice, but he's embarrassed. And he also picks up his phone and starts whispering. Both opt for a synthetic confidant who will attend to them at odd hours and won't judge them. A confidant designed to generate emotional dependency. In two decades, the digital economy has undergone enormous evolution: it started with data, until with social media platforms we discovered that attention was the scarce resource to compete for. Today, with the irruption of chatbots, what they monetize is our need to connect. Emotional support is one of the three most common uses of chatbots, both for adolescents and for the adult population. And the reason is that they promise availability, immediacy, and constant validation, generating a sense of complicity from synthetic intimacy – otherwise known as the attachment economy.

It was after seeing The madman and the shirt, the flagship work of Nelson Valente (Buenos Aires, 1971), that T de Teatre decided to sign the Argentine playwright and director for their next show. "We saw that play and went crazy. We all shared the feeling that he was a director who could take us out of our comfort zones, put us in a cocktail shaker, and shake us up," explains actress Mamen Duch. "That text has brilliant dialogue that captivated us. Nelson's plays are ensemble pieces, but they touch on relatable themes; people can identify with them, and they have a humor that can be uncomfortable," adds Àgata Roca. In recent years, Valente's appearances on the Catalan stage have become increasingly frequent. Last season he premiered Amnesia at the Teatre Nacional and, in 2020, also worked with a Catalan company in The dogs...among other productions. That's why it made perfect sense that Valente's response to T de Teatre's request was affirmative.

The first edition of the Autumn Flash, the festival promoted by Temporada Alta The festival, which brings international performing arts to Barcelona, ​​will conclude this week with a double bill of top-tier dance. American choreographer William Forsythe and Swiss choreographer Thomas Hauert will present their work at the Mercat de les Flors. Double Bill, in collaboration with the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company, one of the most prestigious dance companies on the current scene. Forsythe has choreographed Undertainmenta piece based on scenic freedom, while Hauert has created Playing with Sergei, Martha and the others from the Piano Concerto No. 3 by Rachmaninoff. Both works, built from improvisation and featuring fourteen dancers on stage, will be performed consecutively this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in Barcelona.

Marta Ribera (Girona, 1971) has portrayed iconic female characters in musical theatre alongside directors such as Nigel West, Antonio Banderas, and Ricard Reguant. Much of her professional career has been based in Madrid, but the actress has long desired to return to work in Catalonia, where she has lived for several years. Now she will do so with Glorious!, a comedy directed by Paco Mir about the story of Florence Foster Jenkins (1868-1944), a woman who, despite not being able to sing, filled theaters in New York. Ribera portrays her alongside Ramon Gener and Santi Millán, in a show that premieres on November 13 at the Teatre Poliorama in Barcelona.

The first time actor Romain Daroles played Phaedrus! He did it in a high school classroom, before the eyes of expectant students who didn't know what this boy was doing talking about the work of Jean Racine. The show, written by Swiss director François Gremaud (Bern, 1975), was initially conceived as a performative lecture to introduce this classic to teenagers; in fact, for four years it toured Swiss high schools. Its success in the classroom propelled the play into the mainstream theater circuit, and from there it continued to take off: in 2019 it was performed at the Avignon Festival and now it arrives in Barcelona, ​​in a Spanish premiere this Wednesday at the Library Theater as part of the Flaix de Tardor festival, and will be performed in French with a cover letter. "It has been performed more than 500 times. It's a very well-staged production that explains Phaedra "In a different way, with a sense of humor and accessible to everyone," summarizes Narcís Puig, artistic director of Flash de Otoño.

Carlota Gurt (Barcelona, ​​​​1976) has carved out a prolific career as a writer – with titles such as We'll ride all night (Proa, 2020) and Sole (Proa, 2021)–, translator and columnist. Now she is setting foot in uncharted territory for the first time: the theater. Drawing on her experiences and extensive research into classical texts, Gurt has crafted the monologue A failed annihilation, in which she unfolds her discoveries and reflections on female desire and libido throughout history. She does so with humor and forcefulness, highlighting the influence of the male gaze on women and the impact it still has today. The monologue can be seen on October 23 at El Siglo Mercantic as part of the National Poetry Festival in Sant Cugat, on November 7 at La Planeta in Girona as part of the Temporada Alta festival, and on November 26 at the CCCB as part of the Clásicos Festival. The text will be published in mid-November by Ara Llibres.

For some time, actor Pol López wanted to reunite with Anglo-Irish playwright Martin McDonagh (London, 1970), one of the most over-the-top playwrights on the contemporary scene. In 2017, the actor played the lead role in The Connemara Skull, which was performed at La Villarroel under the direction of Iván Morales. Two years later, McDonagh returned to the Catalan stage with The beauty queen of Leenane, directed by Julio Manrique at the Biblioteca. Audiences familiar with the Anglo-Irish playwright's earlier works know what to expect: politically incorrect characters, dark humor, a tension on the stage that's about to explode, and surprising twists and turns one after another. This is precisely what's brewing in The hand, which will be performed at La Villarroel from October 19 to November 16, translated by Martí Sales, under the direction of Pau Carrió and starring Pol López.