28 years ago, Pep Tosar began a line of creations revolving around poets with that fantastic La casa en obres in which he approached the life and work of the Majorcan Blai Bonet, and which the Teatre del Raval will precisely revive in December to commemorate the hundred years since his birth. Since then, Tosar has walked his imagination through the biography and work of Damià Huguet (Esquena de gabinet) –to whom he has dedicated the small hall of the theatre–, of Guillem d’Efak (Tots aquests dois), of Fernando Pessoa (El fingidor) and of Federico García Lorca with the show Federico García, premiered in 2015 at the Teatre Romea and revived with the inauguration of the new Teatre del Raval.

The new era of Teatre del Raval under the direction of Pep Tosar and Evelyn Arévalo is based on the premise of artistic excellence and humanistic commitment. This was evident in the magnificent inaugural show about Federico García Lorca, which just ended its run last Friday and has been succeeded by L’enterrador (The Gravedigger). It is a monologue written by Gerard Vázquez and performed by Pepe Zapata that has toured much of Spain and speaks of the Francoist mass graves through the true story of Leonci Badia Navarro, better known as the gravedigger of Paterna.

After taking over the Teatre del Raval in Barcelona in the autumn of 2024, Pep Tosar and Evelyn Arévalo were confident they could renovate and reopen the venue in six months. Finally, they have needed a year and a half to carry out the renovation they longed for, "tripling the budget to achieve a comprehensive refurbishment" of the space, they explain. The theatre, located at Sant Antoni Abad street number 12, is practically debuting everything. "The grid [the frame of beams from which the spotlights hang] is completely new, and the stage too. We tore down the old one and built a new one. It has gained a meter of proscenium, it has seven in total. We have also redone the old amphitheatre with three new tiers, and we have renovated all the technical lighting and sound equipment," points out Tosar. The renovation has involved changing the floor to adjust its inclination to the new stage height and creating a technical booth that did not exist until then. "We have tried to move away from very high old stages to maximize the relationship between performers and spectators," emphasizes Tosar.