Keys have been the main protagonists of the event that the Focus Group held this Tuesday at the Teatre Romea to present the new artistic directions of two of its venues. In an intimate meeting with the media, Josep Maria Pou handed over the keys of the Teatre Romea to Tania Brenlle, who, in turn, transferred those of La Villarroel to Carme Tierz. Two gestures that symbolize the handover at the helm of the two venues and that have marked a day in which words of gratitude, trust, and enthusiasm for the future have accompanied the changes.
"I ask you to take care of this theater," Pou told Brenlle as he handed her, with contained emotion, the keys to the Romea. After seven seasons at the head of the artistic direction, the actor and stage director begins a new stage as artistic ambassador of the Focus Group. "I'm going out into the world to look for new stories, and you stay here to make them possible," summarized Pou, who will continue to discover shows and new trends to contribute to the programming of the group's theaters.
The gesture gave way to the second key handover of the day. Brenlle, who leaves behind eleven seasons at the helm of La Villarroel to assume the artistic direction of the Romea, has passed the baton to Carme Tierz, in charge of continuing the artistic project of the venue. A double handover that connects the trajectories of the three protagonists and opens a new stage for the two theaters.
Tania Brenlle returns home
For Brenlle, assuming the artistic direction of the Romea has a particularly personal meaning. Her history with the theater began in 1997, when she first stepped onto its stage as an "aspiring professional in the sector," she explains. At that time, her desire was to become the producer of the venue, a milestone she eventually achieved years later. Becoming its artistic director, however, was a possibility she had not even imagined.
"It's coming home," explained Brenlle, who admitted to having experienced the moment with "emotion, vertigo, pride" and, above all, gratitude. She also recalled the years shared with Calixto Bieito and the first time she professionally coincided with Josep Maria Pou, whose generosity, demanding nature, and passion for theater she highlighted.
"With your talent and your commitment to the craft, you have made this theater a beloved home for artists and the public," she told Pou, thanking him for the work done during his time at the helm of the Romea.
The new artistic director has championed the venue as a cultural benchmark for Barcelona and Catalonia, with over 160 years of history, and has outlined an artistic direction that will combine tradition with a contemporary perspective. Classics will continue to be present, but with the aim of connecting them with today's audience, while contemporary texts can aspire to become the repertoire of the future.
Brenlle wants the Romea to continue being "a space that is a reference for words, interpretation, and thought," rooted in the country's cultural tradition, but open to the great currents of European and international dramaturgy. The new position will also allow her to expand the range of artistic possibilities after eleven seasons at the helm of La Villarroel, where she has consolidated a program focused on contemporary dramaturgy and living authorship.
Carme Tierz takes over La Villarroel
The second handover of keys featured Brenlle and Carme Tierz. After years at the helm of La Villarroel, Brenlle emphasized the need for projects to evolve and incorporate new perspectives. "Projects, to advance, need new perspectives, new viewpoints," she stated before expressing her conviction that her successor will make the venue grow "with sensitivity, judgment, and passion."
Tània Brenlle: "Projects, to advance, need new perspectives, new viewpoints"
Tierz received the assignment with "infinite gratitude" to Brenlle, who suggested her name, and to Daniel Martínez and the Focus management team for the trust placed in her. Like her predecessor with the Romea, she admitted that she had never imagined directing La Villarroel. "It's much more than a job," she said, referring to an opportunity she experiences as a gift.
The new artistic director has championed the venue's identity and Brenlle's commitment to contemporary theater, new voices, and off-creation, which opens space for proposals less common in commercial circuits. Tierz aims to maintain the achieved level and continue working to bring theater closer to the public. "Every day I have to work very, very, very hard to maintain the level of La Villarroel," she affirmed.
The new stories of Josep Maria Pou
The relief at the Romea does not imply Josep Maria Pou's disassociation from the Focus Group. The actor will assume the position of artistic ambassador, a new responsibility that will turn his theatrical curiosity and his passion for discovering shows into a tool at the service of the group's programming.
Pou explained that he will continue traveling through Catalonia, Spain, and abroad to see productions, detect new trends, and identify proposals that may be of interest to Focus theaters. A task that, in reality, he had already been doing for years: many of the shows that have arrived at the Romea and the Goya he had discovered sitting in the audience of other theaters.
Now he will be able to transfer this knowledge to the artistic teams and advise Brenlle, Tierz, and the group's management. The actor also lamented that it is currently more difficult to bring international companies to Catalan stages, especially due to economic and logistical difficulties, but he assured that he will continue to do everything possible to favor the arrival of new productions.
Josep Maria Pou lamented that it is currently more difficult to bring international companies to Catalan stages
With the keys now in the hands of the new directors, the Focus Group opens a new stage that combines continuity and renewal. The Romea will look to the future without losing sight of its legacy, while La Villarroel will continue to explore the voices and questions of the present. Pou, from a new position, will continue to search for stories that one day may reach both stages.