More than three million spectators and 92.2 million euros in revenue. These are the record figures that Barcelona theaters have registered during the 2023-2024 theater season, which has become the best season in the history of the sector. The increase in audience, 8.2% compared to last season, exceeds the three million mark, and places the figure notably above the previous record: 2.81 million in the 2011-2012 season.
The audience has increased at the same rate as the number of shows and performances: throughout the season, 1,235 projects with 13,035 showings have been programmed. This figure represents "another historical record, and the occupancy rate has also grown," with an average of 61.1%, as explained by the president of the Associació d'Empreses de Teatre de Catalunya (Adetca), Isabel Vidal.
But Barcelona theater is not content, and aspires to continue growing and increasing its revenue. "These historical data for us are a lever to show that the audience exists and that we need to continue growing," Vidal highlighted in an event at La Villarroel to review the season by Adetca and Teatres Públics de Barcelona. Thus, "the starting point is now three million, which gives us arguments before administrations and before the public that we are doing well."
"It is a lever that spurs us to continue revalidating records," remarked Vidal, who attributed this growth to "a job very well done for a long time and to an audience that shows that they increasingly want to go to the theater." And this desire also leads the public to local theater, where the works that have attracted the most spectators have been Fairfly, No et vesteixis per sopar and Austràlia. Productions such as El Mago Pop's show; The Producers by Àngel Llàcer and Manu Guix, and Escape Room 2 by Joel Joan have been the most successful on the Barcelona theater billboard this season.
The rise of Catalan productions
Within a record season in Barcelona, theater with a Catalan stamp has stood out. "It is the one with the most weight: 65% of shows have been Catalan productions, and 54% have featured Catalan authors," as Vidal highlighted. "This is something very difficult to find worldwide," guaranteed the president of Adetca in an event that was closed by the mayor, Jaume Collboni.
The sector attributes the success of theater in Barcelona not only to the public and the venues themselves, but also to the Catalan theater entrepreneurs. This recognition has materialized by inviting the honorary president of Adetca, Daniel Martínez de Obregón, to the stage, who precisely presided over the entity when the sector reached its record in the 2011-2012 season, now surpassed by the three million of this theatrical season.
Looking to the new season
And the sector is already prepared to face a new season, with the aim of continuing to grow. To kick off, the XXIII Catalunya Aixeca el Teló gala has been a declaration of intent for the new theater season. The event has also been a recognition of Dagoll Dagom, which has received the Adetca Catalonia Theater Award Honorary Mention in a year in which it bids farewell to the stage with what will be one of the highlights of the season: the revival of Mar i Cel at the Teatre Victòria.
With the motto El teatre no té edat (Theater has no age), the gala has highlighted those who have dedicated their careers to theater for years, not only acting, but in all its aspects, from costume design to set design. The ceremony, directed by Paco Mir together with Roger Julià, featured live music from the Original Soundtrack Orchestra and directed by Joan Vives, performances by artists and with actress Carme Conesa as master of ceremonies. This year's edition also paid tribute to theaters beyond the city, which is why it was held for the first time outside Barcelona and chose to take to the stage of the Teatre-Auditori de Sant Cugat.
The gala has confirmed the return of an initiative that has contributed to making visible and enhancing the work of theater: Cap Butaca Buida, which gathered 55,000 spectators in 145 Catalan theaters in one day. The event will take place again on March 22, on a day when the sector aims to continue growing and consolidating itself as one of the cultural pillars of Catalonia and its capital.