The managing entity of Antic Teatre, located on Verdaguer i Callís street, in the Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera neighborhood, in Ciutat Vella, had been demanding a solution for years to guarantee the continuity of its cultural activity, especially after the building owner informed them of a rent increase. The Barcelona City Council is taking a step forward to ensure its survival, as the municipal government commission of the consistory has approved the economic allocation—exceeding one million euros—to initiate the expropriation process of the premises.
With this announcement, the space will become a new municipal cultural facility. A measure that, in fact, was already announced during the previous mandate, but had not yet materialized. Even so, at the time, progress was made in its preservation and, in April 2023, the Modification of the Metropolitan General Plan was approved to classify the premises as a local cultural facility with heritage protection, a classification that not only protects the building but also ensures its public use as a cultural center.
Antic Teatre is part of a vertically owned building with six floors, but the expropriation will only affect the spaces specific to cultural activity: the main floor, the mezzanine, the patio, and the low access building. However, for now, the formula that will be followed to award its management has not been disclosed, while its current managers demand that the cultural project that has sustained cultural activity in this space since 2003 be taken into account, when a group of multidisciplinary artists, led by actress and cultural manager Semolinika Tomic, self-manages the space and its theatrical programming.
However, the origins of the premises date back centuries, as Antic Teatre is located in an old 17th-century neoclassical residential palace, declared cultural heritage of the city. In the mid-20th century, members of the Círculo Barcelonés San José settled in the space to carry out activities mainly related to education for working-class adults and children, but also to implement a program of cultural and leisure activities.
At the end of March 2003, Tomic rediscovered the space, which at that time was closed, abandoned and in ruins, and settled in with a group of multidisciplinary artists to rehearse and perform their creations. Practically since the beginning of its activity, the venue has suffered threats of closure. The first came in 2005, when the council announced that the Antic Teatre had to close for not having the corresponding updated activity license. A license that, after a renovation of the space, was obtained to maintain its theatrical activity.
A venue that has also been threatened by rising rental prices, especially in a coveted neighborhood like Ciutat Vella. Thus, the owner of the building announced that the rent would increase from 1,500 euros per month to 7,500 euros, once the current contract, valid until the end of 2026, expired. With the announcement of the expropriation, the City Council takes a definitive step to preserve its cultural activity. A measure that is part of the council's strategy to recover emblematic cultural spaces, such as El Molino, the Teatre Arnau or the Teatre Capitol, which is expected to reopen in 2027 under municipal ownership.