Sala Beckett has literally taken to the streets to present its 2026/27 season, and it has done so by turning the press conference into a real party! A musical vermouth, neighbors occupying chairs, and a popular paella marked the start of the celebration of the venue's ten years in Poblenou; a day that extended into the early hours with a stage full of theatrical proposals and live music.
But although it blows out the candles for its first decade in the neighborhood, the Beckett actually has 37 years of history. In July 2016, it had to leave its mythical headquarters in Gràcia, pushed out by real estate speculation, a problem that continues today in the city and in the Poblenou neighborhood itself. "It arrived in Poblenou with a red carpet," its director, Toni Casares, gratefully recalled.
The Beckett has consolidated itself as an essential creation laboratory for Catalan dramaturgy. In fact, during the press conference, it was announced exclusively that "Tú me prometiste una historia de amor" (a play by Helena Tornero directed by Israel Solà that premiered at Grec 2025) will soon premiere at the Shanghai Contemporary Theater Festival. "We make theater to dialogue with the neighborhood, with the city, and with the world," Casares concluded, summarizing the spirit of this new theatrical season.
The big names of Sala Beckett's new season
For the first time, figures of the stature of Mario Gas will tread the boards of the venue with El pesimismo alegre (Mi suicidio), a text by Henri Roorda produced by the Basque company Tanttaka Teatroa. The clown Pepa Plana also premieres in the space with A cada paso (¡Oh, los días perfectos!), a show directly inspired by the universe of Samuel Beckett. Plana took advantage of the presentation to assert her profession without Anglicisms: "I like to assert the word in Catalan and in the feminine: I am a clown."
One of the highlights of the program will be the return to the Beckett of Pau Matas and Oriol Pla with Gola. After a successful journey that has passed through the TNC and the Temporada Alta festival, the show lands in the Poblenou venue to demonstrate the power of this creative duo.
The program will be completed with great comebacks and bets from FiraTàrrega, such as the Navarrese company Las Nenas Theatre with Torcidxs (within the Escena Poblenou Festival) or the Madrid-based María Velasco, who will talk about bullying in Mantener fuera del alcance de los niños. Internationally, the co-production by Mercè Sarrias, Les distàncies, stands out, which will travel to Quebec in autumn before arriving in Barcelona.
Oriol Genís and his own cycle in the theater
One of the highlights of the 2026/27 season will be the recognition of one of the most beloved actors on the Catalan scene. Under the title ORIOL GENÍS: word, body and character, the Beckett will dedicate a monographic cycle to his figure that will be part of the entire program.
The tribute will allow the recovery of three key pieces of his career that reconnect historical directors with the theater: Una nit amb Andrés Villarrosa (directed by Marc Rosich), Compto cada passa meva sobre la terra (by Lluïsa Cunillé and under the baton of Xavier Albertí) and Verbagàlia (by Víctor Català, directed by Albert Arribas). The cycle will be completed with the dramatized reading of Vespres de la Beata Verge and the commitment to premiere, next summer, a new unreleased production starring the actor.
The tradition of amateur theater in Poblenou and at the Beckett
The opening of the season will be a tribute to the identity of Poblenou. In an unusual gesture in professional circuits, the Beckett has invited the Centre Moral i Cultural del Poblenou to inaugurate the official season with the premiere of Scoop, a play written and directed by Enric Folch.
"The imprint of amateur theater on the vitality of professional theater is indisputable," Toni Casares defended. This gesture demonstrates the Beckett's willingness to fully engage in the daily life of Poblenou and grow alongside its neighbors.
The Sala Beckett program for the 2026/27 season
The intention of the theater is clear: "to keep building creative talent." To achieve this, this year's program balances its own productions with the promotion of new talents and training in its classrooms. The backbone of the Beckett season will be made up of three major proposals signed by creators historically linked to the theater:
- Sergi Belbel will present El forat blanc, the first musical show produced entirely by La Beckett. With original music by Òscar Roig, the piece is freely inspired by El temps de Planck (a show they both premiered in 2000). "It aims to be a quantum musical," Belbel advanced about this proposal.
- Ferran Dordal Lalueza will sign an adaptation of Franz Kafka's The Castle. With this production, the theater recovers its taste for Kafkaesque adaptations that already marked the beginnings of La Beckett at the hands of José Sanchis Sinisterra.
- The third in-house production will be Un home bo, a new text written and directed by Victoria Szpunberg. The show will star Xavi Sáez and Júlia Mascort.
The commitment to emerging talent and the Obrador
La Beckett is committed to emerging creators with a list of resident companies and authors. One of the most anticipated moments will be the premiere of the Jove Cia Al Dente (formed by Claud Hernández, Zaida Lloveras Miralles, and Luca Roma). This is a group that emerged directly from La Beckett's dramaturgy workshops, which is now making the leap to the professional circuit with its new creation FAMA FOMO FUMU!
The resident authorship for the new season is by Núria Corominas (member of the collective Las Huecas), who begins her solo career as a playwright after having premiered Un xai ha creuat el desert at the theater in the 2024/25 season. The Col·lectiu Pedant a Missa i Repicant (founded by Quim Carandell and Lluc Valverde) will settle in the theater to write and rehearse a new play that will feature a luxury collaboration: live music by La Ludwig Band and stage direction by Albert Reverendo.
As a driving force for writing support, the Els Malnascuts project will remain active and the granting of the Benet i Jornet 2026 Grants has been announced. Playwrights Andrea Castells, Oriol Morales i Pujolar, and Alícia Serrat will be in charge of writing the new works that will be cooked up at La Beckett in the coming months.
With the pan on the fire and the neighborhood celebrating, Sala Beckett makes it clear that its future remains linked to the fabric of the city. A street party that perfectly summarizes the cry with which Toni Casares closed the press conference: "Long live theater and long live Poblenou!".