(English) Microtheatre – a fantastic way to take in a show

Although the basic premise always remains the same, the world of theatre is always moving and evolving. The goal may always be the same, to innovate and surprise the audience,where nothing is written in stone and everything is open to interpretation,but it’s for that very reason why some directors and producers have been working hard to revitalise this powerful art form whilst maintaining its core spirit. One example of this kind of modern innovation is microtheatre, a new way of enjoying a show without the hefty price tag or time commitment. It’s a kind of express theatre, where the quality remains high, but everything moves at a much brisker pace.

In a city that radiates culture from every angle, Barcelona hasn’t missed a trick when it comes to this new art form that’s spreading rapidly throughout Spain. The format is simple: in a small room, a theatre piece of no more than fifteen minutes is performed before an audience of no more than around twenty people.All this comes at a reduced price and offers incredibly intimate contact between performers and their audience, guaranteeing that the latter feel very much part of the show.It’s a format that is reinventing the traditional concept of what theatre should be, and poses a great challenge to actors and writers alike in further democratising such a cherished form of expression.

Around three years ago, microtheatre arrived in Barcelona with the MINITea3 initiative in the Raval Quarter, brought to the city by the likes of Ramón Oller and Íngrid Rubio.It became the first seedling for this new concept on Barcelona’s theatre scene, which rapidly spread throughout the city to add another wonderful dimension to the cultural attractions on offer.One significant feature in its development was that a number of famous actors, such as Unax Ugalde, Núria Gago and Manolo Caro, were some of the early stars of this slimmed-down format,expertly showing that Barcelona was at the forefront of this particular new wave of performance.

A short while later, Microtheatre Barcelona threw open its doors in the Gracia quarter on the well-known Calle Bailén. This particular initiative came to the city having already triumphed in Madrid and, currently, is enjoying widespread popularity.Its philosophy is all based on the number 15. The rooms are 15m², the performances last 15 minutes and only 15 people make up the audience.In total, they offer five rooms with a regular schedule of shows at affordable prices for everyone.

But microtheatre in Barcelona doesn’t end there. The Píndoles Festival has become a staple in everyone’s calendar looking to discover new pieces in this format.It’s a wonderful event where winning producers see their works performed in fantastic venues, such as Casa Josepa Marsans, a spectacular modernist mansion found in Barcelona’s Vallcarca district in the Gracia quarter.

Here, you’ll discover a new trend that is certainly here to stay, forcing theatre writers and producers to give their productions a whole new imaginative twist as they attempt to surprise, excite, entertain and amaze their audiences in just fifteen minutes. This is an exercise in creativity that has found a wonderful home in Barcelona, where new initiatives designed to bring more people into the theatre and experience the magic of the stage will only continue to grow and thrill us all.

Categories: barcelona