We have already passed the halfway point of the Grec and, this week, some of the festival's most anticipated proposals are premiering, such as the new and groundbreaking proposal by Angélica Liddell. The Girona-based creator proposes a show that can be seen in the early hours of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, at 04:45 h. The Lliure stage will become a scenic poem that will pay homage to Yukio Mishima.
But apart from this unconventional premiere, in the coming days we will also enjoy other works such as the adaptation of An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen, the third proposal of the poetic and silent theater of Kulunka Teatro or the new Catalan and small-format musical by Jumon Erra.
In the Penal Colony at Teatre Lliure
July 24 and 25.
The Teatre Lliure becomes the setting for a reflection on the decadence of the West with the premiere of In the Penal Colony, an adaptation of Franz Kafka's story that can be seen on July 24 and 25, 2026. Under the direction of Dobrin Plamenov, the Barcelona-based company La Mala Companyia transports the spectator to a remote tropical island that functions as a penal colony. In this unsettling place there are no courts or procedural guarantees; absolute power and justice fall upon a sophisticated and terrifying machine designed exclusively to judge, torture, and execute the condemned.
The production arrives on the billboard endorsed by the prestigious Adrià Gual Award from the Institut del Teatre, aimed at promoting new talent and the professional insertion of young scenic creators. With this piece, the company closes its trilogy dedicated to analyzing the control and oppression that governments exert over the individual, a project that began with Se pronuncia camino (inspired by Albert Camus's The Plague) and continued with El último día del hombre perro (based on Aldous Huxley's Brave New World).
Forever at Teatre Condal
From July 22 to August 2.
The company Kulunka Teatro returns to Teatre Condal from July 22 to August 2, 2026 with its mask show Forever. After achieving overwhelming success and receiving numerous awards, such as the Max Award 2024 for Best Direction for Iñaki Rikarte and the Talía Award for Best Show, the Basque company once again demonstrates its mastery of gestural theater. The work delves into the story of a family that progressively moves away from everything it once dreamed of being.
The show functions as a carousel symbolizing the wheel of life, delving into the wound of its characters. It addresses complex themes such as maternity, education, living with disability, and lack of communication in the home. An experience that transcends words, with a language heavily influenced by cinema and supported by an ingenious rotating platform.
Seppuku. Mishima's Funeral or the Pleasure of Dying at Teatre Lliure
From July 24 to 26.
The stage creator Angélica Liddell returns to Grec with the premiere of Seppuku. Mishima's Funeral or the Pleasure of Dying, which can be seen at Teatre Lliure. In this scenic poem, the playwright reflects on death and ritual suicide through a tribute to the figure of Japanese writer Yukio Mishima, one of the most influential authors in her artistic career.
The show takes as its starting point the event of November 25, 1970, the day Mishima committed seppuku strictly following the samurai code, a meticulously planned end that he wrote about in his literary work. The production is inspired by the text of the Hagakure and is conceived as a ceremony where the public is invited to attend a death ritual conceived as the most absolute act of freedom and sincerity of the human being.
Um julgamento at Teatre Lliure
July 30 and 31.
Brazilian director Christiane Jatahy presents her latest creation, Um julgamento, at Teatre Lliure, a show that investigates the frontiers and limits between cinematic language and live theater. The production takes as reference the classic work by Henrik Ibsen, An Enemy of the People, to transform the hall into a grand trial where the audience assumes the role of the popular jury. The plot places us two years after the events of the original play, accompanying Dr. Thomas Stockmann on his return to the city with the aim of asking for a second chance.
The cast is led by actor Wagner Moura and screenwriter Lucas Paraizo, and the production uses Ibsen's classic as a vehicle to talk about contemporary issues such as the fragility of truth in the information age, the clash between capitalism and the preservation of the planet, or the way modern fascism can exploit the mechanisms of democracy to destroy it from within.
After Us at Espai Texas
From July 30 to August 2.
Espai Texas hosts the premiere of Después de nosotros (After Us), a small-format musical that talks about what happens after a breakup. Written and directed by Jumon Erra, with an original score by Miquel Tejada, the show stars Júlia Jové and Xavi Navarro, accompanied live on keyboards by Andrea Mir. The play poses an uncomfortable question: is it possible to continue loving each other in a different way when the romantic relationship has definitively ended?
The story brings us closer to the lives of Lena, a music festival programmer, and Adrià, a soundtrack composer, one year after their separation. Despite the change in life, new jobs, and future partners, both have made a firm promise not to lose their bond or abandon each other. For ninety minutes, the show reflects on love, complicity, and the right to care for oneself.
This week, the stages of Barcelona will make us reflect, get emotional, and discover a new way of seeing and understanding theater.