In Barcelona, whoever doesn't go to shows is because they don't want to. The agenda of the Catalan capital is full of concerts by great international artists and also local musicians, and its theater halls are filled with large productions and also alternative and small-format proposals. And the city's offer goes much further: monologues, musicals, dance and magic shows of international renown, circus and everything one can imagine, from bubble shows to concerts by the light of thousands of candles.
And the sector is in a good moment: Barcelona's theaters have closed a record 2024; internationally popular artists fill concerts; people want to have a good time. To analyze the strengths of this diverse and vital sector, The New Barcelona Post organizes a new session of its series Moments Estel·lars, which on this occasion will bring together the general director of the Focus group and president of the Association of Theater Companies of Catalonia (Adetca), Isabel Vidal, and the manager of Sala Razzmatazz and president of the Association of Concert Halls of Catalonia (Asacc), Lluís Torrents.
In a conversation at Casa Seat with journalist and UPF-BSM professor Toni Aira, Vidal and Torrents will delve into the reality of the sector and its potential, as well as its role within the city's cultural and leisure ecosystem. Organized with the collaboration of Casa Seat, Must Media Group and Barcelona Global, the session will be held on Monday, March 3 at 6:30 p.m. To attend as an audience and be able to ask questions to the speakers, it is required to reserve a place for free.
Under the name The Barcelona of the show, the session will address the importance of the sector in revitalizing the city and the daily lives of Barcelonans and tourists who visit the city, often also attracted by this cultural and leisure offer. And the entertainment sector also contributes to Barcelona's international positioning as a vibrant city, a factor that adds to the attraction of students and international talent, which in turn facilitates local companies and international subsidiaries choosing Barcelona to deploy their businesses. Thus, the world of entertainment goes far beyond the enjoyment of the spectator: it has an economic dimension that transcends the sector itself and affects the city as a whole.
This relationship between the sector and the Catalan capital and its citizens will also be analyzed in the session, which will focus on the strengths and opportunities of the sector without forgetting the challenges it faces. What formulas do theaters explore to attract new audiences and retain them? How to provide spaces for new emerging talents in the city's music scene? And ensure the continuity of live music venues? How to position Barcelona in a competitive international environment without forgetting its local artists and neighbors? The meeting will try to answer questions like these, in a session that can later be recovered in podcast format on Spotify or in video on Youtube.
To focus on these issues, Vidal and Torrents will share their points of view from the perspective of the theater sector and concert halls. Vidal, a law graduate from the University of Barcelona (UB), has been the general director of the Focus group since 2020, where she began her career in 1996, then in the Theaters department. After nearly two decades at Focus, in 2015 she assumed the position of manager, and five years later she became the general director. Currently, the group specializing in theatrical productions and exhibition halls operates as a conglomerate of 18 companies.
In addition to leading Focus, Vidal has presided over Adetca for six years, having previously served as its secretary for the three preceding years. Now, the association of Catalan theaters has once again entrusted her to continue leading the entity: Vidal has recently been re-elected to hold the position again for the next four years. Adetca made this decision after a record-breaking year: the city's 30 venues surpassed the maximum they had achieved the previous year in 2024. Last year, Barcelona's venues crossed the three million spectator mark, with 9.4% more audience than in 2023, when a record was already reached that until then was held by 2011. With this public reception, theaters collected 92.7 million euros, 6.6 more than the previous year, which also represented a record for the sector.
Among the factors that have contributed to the success of this season, one stands out: the first edition of the Cap Butaca Buida initiative, which aimed to achieve the world record for theater attendees in a single day. After achieving it, the sector will challenge itself again this year in the second edition, which will be held on March 22. The sector and the association do not want to slow down, and will continue to do so under the leadership of Vidal, who is also vice-president of the State Federation of Theater and Dance Companies Associations.
The vigor of concert halls
Vidal's vision of the theatrical landscape will be complemented in the session by Torrents' vision of concert halls, the two main pillars of the entertainment sector in the city. Although he graduated in biochemistry and later specialized in enology, Torrents has been dedicated to the music sector since 1985, when he was almost 20 years old. Since then, he has worked in various venues and promoters that have given him a vision and experience that have led him to lead the sector as president of the Association of Concert Halls of Catalonia, a position he has held since 2014.
Since entering the Barcelona music scene, Torrents has been director and manager of the Humedad Relativa hall and Sala Zeleste; co-director and head of operations of Sinnamon Promotions, and manager of the concert promoter Miles Away. Currently, he is the co-director and manager of Sala Razzmatazz, into which Zeleste was converted in 2000. Since then, Razz has positioned itself as one of the city's reference venues, from Poblenou. In addition, Torrents has been vice-president of the Catalan Academy of Music since 2016.
Based on his experience and the more than ten years he has accumulated leading the sector from Asacc, Torrents will address the current situation and future prospects of the music scene in the Catalan capital. In this way, together with Vidal, the new session of Moments Estel·lars aims to radiograph the situation of concert and theater halls as pillars of the entertainment sector in Barcelona, which is projected as a vibrant city for the enjoyment of Barcelonans and visitors, and which faces challenges to turn them into opportunities.