Barcelona's theaters revalidate their sweet moment

If the current moment of Catalan theater had to be represented on a stage, the production would definitely become a very successful and prolific one. A production that would gather, at least, three million spectators. This is the figure that, for the second consecutive year, Barcelona's theaters have surpassed, after reaching it for the first time during the previous season.

In fact, the theaters in the Catalan capital have not only revalidated their good health, but have even managed to surpass their attendance and revenue records. They have done so with 3.1 million spectators, 4% more than during the previous season, and a revenue of 94 million euros, increasing their turnover by 1.8 million euros (2%) compared to 2024.

These record figures confirm that Barcelona's theaters are experiencing one of their best moments in history, as in just five years they have managed to increase annual spectators to Barcelona theaters by more than half a million. For the second consecutive year, moreover, Barcelona's theaters have managed to surpass the historic barrier of three million spectators, far exceeding the previous attendance record, which had been set at 2.81 million attendees during the 2011-2012 season.

The audience has increased in parallel with the increase in shows and performances: during this season, 13,179 performances of 1,234 shows have been programmed. Likewise, the occupancy of theater halls has also achieved another historical record, with an average of 64%, although on certain days these figures have approached 90% occupancy, such as during the day organized by the Association of Theater Companies of Catalonia (ADETCA) Cap Butaca Buida.

Productions with a Catalan seal

"Even so, the most important thing is not the number of spectators or turnover, but how we have achieved these figures: with an increase in local theater halls and by betting on Catalan dramaturgy in the program," defended the president of ADETCA, Isabel Vidal, at an event at the Poliorama Theater where she reviewed the 2024-2025 season.

As the president of ADETCA has recalled, behind these attendance and collection records are shows, companies, and professionals who have made it possible to revalidate these good figures. Companies and producers who, this year, have mostly opted for their own productions and works in Catalan, which has represented the language of 39% of the productions, compared to 34% of works that have been performed in Spanish.

In this sense, the season has been marked by the definitive return of Mar i Cel, the last performance before the definitive farewell to the historic Dagoll Dagom. The story of Blanca and Saïd has managed to move and gather more than 300,000 spectators at the Teatre Victòria. Also noteworthy has been the humor of Escape Room 2 —directed and performed by Joel Joan— and the always surprising and different Improshow at Teatreneu, a company that promises a different show at each performance, thanks to the ideas and phrases written by the spectators.

Even so, in this successful season, not only big productions have triumphed, but there has also been a significant increase in attendance in venues with less than 200 seats. These thirty Barcelona venues have attracted 372,000 spectators, 28% more than in the previous year. The president of ADETCA has also celebrated that in the last two years, up to eight disappeared venues in Barcelona have been recovered or processes have been initiated to revive them, such as Teatre Capitol or Teatre Arnau, both venues in the process of rehabilitation for their future reopening.

Vidal has highlighted "the public-private effort" to give new life to these historic disappeared venues, although she has not missed the opportunity to demand a greater contribution to culture and arts from the Generalitat. In addition to demanding that the Culture budget reach 2%, Vidal also demands that bureaucracy for producers and companies be reduced and that a law on patronage and tax incentives be promoted to favor productions with a Catalan seal.

The comedian and presenter of the Gala Catalunya Aixeca el Teló, Jordi Oriol, has also taken advantage of this ceremony held at the Gran Teatre del Liceu to demand —before the authorities present, such as the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Isla, or the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtsaun— that 2% of the Generalitat's budget be invested in Culture, instead of being allocated to other areas such as defense.

The gala held at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, under the motto On tot és possible, has served to kick off a new theater season that, they hope, will even manage to surpass these new records. The event, unpredictable and full of surprises, has also served as a tasting presentation of the variety and richness of Catalan companies and productions, ranging from family theater with masks, puppets and tadpoles from Comediants, the aerial acrobatics of Juan Carlos Panduro, to the emotional music through Marta Cardona's violin or Magalí Sare's voice, who premiered two of the three songs from her triple single Anunci during the gala.

The ceremony has also served to remember and recognize the production company Bitò ---Honorary Mention Catalonia Theater Award 2025---, by Josep Domènech and Salvador Sunyer, as well as to encourage spectators to fill, one more year, the halls of the Catalan capital. "The public wants to attend the theater, which not only consolidates itself as a space for enjoyment and reflection, but also for coexistence," said the president of ADETCA. Especially, in a new season with "an impressive billboard," in Vidal's words. All in all, the goal of Barcelona's theaters, observing the positive trend of recent years, is not to conform but to aspire further, hoping to exceed the barrier of 3.5 million spectators this year.

A new and successful season

The Gala Catalunya Aixeca el Teló has served only as a taste of the different productions among which the spectator will be able to navigate and be surprised in Barcelona's theaters. Just as during the gala, which has opted for the surprise factor, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, one of the venues that, year after year, gathers a greater number of spectators, also wants to surprise with the magic of the unpredictable. The season, with a total of 116 performances, will feature highlights such as Manon Lescaut by Àlex Ollé or the anticipated debut of Lise Davidsen in Tristan und Isolde.

Magic will also be one of the main elements of this year's program, with the anticipated return of the international Mago Pop to the stages of the Catalan capital, at the Teatro Victòria after triumphing on Broadway. The magic show promises to be one of the big highlights of the new season, along with productions with a Catalan stamp such as the return in musical format of the emblematic and colorful La Cubana, which presents its new production L'amor venia amb taxi.

After four decades of trajectory, the mythical and fun Barcelona company has decided to return to one of the essential stages in its beginnings, the Teatro Romea, where they performed their first show in 1986. Not only the Romea, but all the theaters of the Focus Group —Romea, Condal, Goya, and La Villarroel—, have also broken their own attendance record, with 517,000 spectators, and want to continue seducing the local public. They will do so with proposals such as the new version of the musical Germanes de Sang—another of the indispensable productions of the season—, or darker works such as La mà, Martin McDonagh's black comedy directed by Pau Carrió.

The season will not only be a time for humor and musicals —like the classic Phantom of the Opera that will be at the Tívoli until February—, but also a moment of pause and reflection. Thus, the Teatre Lliure invites us to reflect on the world with plays like El barquero, directed by the theater's own director, Julio Manrique, and set in the violence of Northern Ireland in the 80s. A social critique that also takes root in the new season of the TNC, in this case about women and their role in theater and the world. The venue will open the theatrical year with a dark dance show by La Veronal, reinforcing dance as another of the quintessential genres in Barcelona's theaters.

But productions will not only be concentrated in the large venues; stages like the Teatre Texas have also prepared a historic and emotional season, which kicks off with the revival of El Principi d'Arquímedes, one of the great international successes of Catalan theater, translated into some twenty languages. A variety of venues and productions, with plays for all tastes and ages, that aims to reaffirm the good health of Catalan theater, achieving and surpassing records year after year.