Secret and open-air shows: Terrats en Cultura returns

Every summer, and for fourteen years now, Barcelona hides its best-kept secret: the Terrats en Cultura festival. The cycle once again opens up rooftops of private buildings in the capital and l'Hospitalet to offer an exclusive experience of thirteen shows of theater, music, dance, and critical thinking.

Driven by the association Coincidències, this event invites us to rediscover the city from above and to reclaim a community space to celebrate art and culture. And one of the most curious and fun points is that, until a few hours before the performance, the location is not known.

The Terrats en Cultura theater program is the best-kept secret of the summer

The theater program deals with very diverse genres and themes, often committed to contemporary reality. This year it consists of the following shows:

• On Friday, June 19, L'esquerda will be presented, a piece written and directed by Jorge-Yamam Serrano and performed by Cristina Gàmiz, which, with touches of humor, talks about the trauma that persists when abuses are suffered during school years.
• On July 3 it will be the turn of JOLGORIO (la festa de tots els meus aniversaris), a creation by Alicia Reyero under the direction of Lali Álvarez that proposes the rooftop as a space for celebration and ritual around memory, body, and desire.
• Political and social satire will take place on July 9 with A fuego, a monologue by Pablo Macho Otero inspired by the historical figure of Herostratus.
• On July 23, La Culpa no es de la estaca si el sapo salta y se ensarta will be shown, a text by Enric Nolla about exile and identity interpreted by Venezuelan actress Dailyn Valdivieso.
• Humor and stand-up comedy format will arrive on July 10 with S'obre el teló, a proposal by Oye Sherman and Esther López (La Calòrica) that revisits popular humor and will be accompanied by a wine tasting from DO Catalunya.
• Dance will close the summer season on July 24 with Un paso adelante, by Mar Garcia and Javi Soler, a piece that reflects on the concept of failure in the world of artistic auditions.

The soundtrack of the cycle

Terrats en Cultura also has room for live music. The musical program will open with the duo Thelee (Jordi Corominas and Oleguer Montané), who will present their new EP BBBB in an inaugural concert that will be completed with a small gathering to celebrate the start of the season with the public.

On July 15 we will be able to enjoy Daniel Lumbreras, a musician who presents an experimental project focused on the use of voice and improvisation; on July 16 it will be the turn of Carmen Aciar, with a lyrical proposal that connects Barcelona with Buenos Aires. Finally, on July 17 it will be the turn of the Nou Barris band Acaracan, who will perform songs from their album La búsqueda. A closing concert that vindicates Catalan rumba as part of the identity of our city.

Autumn shows with OFF-Terrats en Cultura

This year, OFF-Terrats en Cultura is consolidated, an initiative that aims to extend the festival beyond the summer months. Last April, the cycle programmed the shows Poesía y canción tras la distorsión (a tribute to Robe Iniesta) and Noves espiritualitats per a persones atees by the Atzucac company; and in autumn, the aim is to continue with the programming of shows.

In this sense, on October 10, Set nenes jueves. Una obra per a Gaza, by British playwright Caryl Churchill, will be presented. It is a brief and current piece that explains how adults explain the story of war and violence to children.

A cycle that vindicates urban space through culture

Terrats en Cultura is a performing arts cycle promoted by the cultural association Coincidències. The project, born in 2013, aims to vindicate the use of rooftops, characteristic spaces of our city's architecture and currently threatened by new urban models.

We all know that it is impossible to keep a secret in Barcelona, especially if there is good music, theater and a wine tasting involved. The 14th edition of Terrats en Cultura once again demonstrates that, to enjoy good stories, there is no need to lock yourself in a room with the air conditioning at full blast: you just need to reclaim the rooftops, experience culture without screens and, incidentally, see who has the best terrace in the city.