Barcelona Theatre Guide – All You Need to Know
In Theatre Trip’s local theatre guide series, we are delving deeper into what’s going on in theaters across the globe. For each city, we will be sharing local theatre companies, projects, festivals, and organizations. And today we’ll be covering all things related to the Barcelona theatre scene.
[Location: Barcelona, Spain]
Barcelona is the second most populous city in Spain. It’s a magnet for tourists, beach lovers, party animals, and foodies. But what many don’t know is that Barcelona has a vibrant theatre scene as well. And although many of the companies do focus on Catalan works, there are also a handful that cater to internationals.
*Items marked with a ⭐ have been experienced by Theatre Trip and are highly recommended!
Barcelona’s Theatre Scene
The Antic Theatre is an exciting cultural hub that exists for the purpose of creation, experimentation, and production of top-quality works. They have won multiple awards and pride themselves on building community connections.
Coliseum is unique in that it is not only a movie theatre, but it’s also an actual theatre! They produce a wide variety of quality shows here, from popular musicals to lesser-known comedies.
Double A Productions is an independent musical theatre company located just outside of Barcelona. If you’re looking specifically for musical theatre, you’ll have to see what they’re up to!
Eixample Teatre is one of Barcelona’s leading cultural centers. Here you can find music, magic shows, dance, exhibitions, and high-quality theatre.
El Molino is an electric cabaret theatre with seductive dancing and exciting revues. Also, you can expect to find great live music, a swanky atmosphere, and memories that will last for a long time to come. However, this theatre is not suitable for children.
The Liceu was founded in 1847 and is Barcelona’s premiere opera house. Additionally, it ranks among the world’s top 15! They strive to not only produce classics, but also to feature new works and composers. If you get the chance to see a show here, you will be blown away by the high-quality performances and the beautiful interior.
This company is unique in that it hosts 15-minute plays in special/unique locations! On top of that, the plays are regularly changing, and they do accept submissions from outside artists. This is an experience that you’ll just have to see for yourself!
Palau de la Música was designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner in 1905 and was later declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The Palau hosts a wide variety of music events, including incredible nights of opera. Here’s where you can read about our experience at the Palau de la Música!
Sala Beckett is a theatre that promotes Catalan works while prioritizing theatre-related creation, training, and experimentation. They especially focus on the craft of playwriting, and even offer in-depth playwriting workshops.
Teatre del Raval has the goal of creating a new space for research, creation, and theatrical exhibition. Additionally, they prioritize works with powerful messages, and especially like to promote local projects.
Teatre Gaudí is home to a regularly-changing program of plays and musicals. With a goal of presenting linguistic, musical, and dynamic theatre works all year round, there will always be something to enjoy!
Teatre Grec is an open-air theatre that’s located on Barcelona’s world-renown Montjuic. In addition to their high-quality shows, they also host a yearly theatre festival that’s definitely worth a visit.
Teatre Nacional focuses on excellence and diversity in their theatre programming. Additionally, the theatre prides itself on regularly making use of Catalan heritage and language in their productions.
Teatre Poliorama is exciting in that you can also catch exhilarating flamenco shows on top of their regularly scheduled theatrical programming. They also offer educational programs for schools around Barcelona.
Teatre Tantarantana is an award-winning theatre that has been producing works for 25 years and counting. In addition to their wide variety of theatrical offerings, they also lead international projects and training and research programs.
This gorgeous theatre lies in the middle of the city, and offers a huge assortment of shows. They are especially known for hosting huge, show-stopping musicals, like Flashdance and La Jaula de las Locas (La Cage Aux Folles), which we even got the chance to see! Here’s where you can read about our experience at Teatre Tivoli!
Barcelona Theatre Festivals
BIG IF Barcelona Improv Festival➝ ⭐
The BIG IF is the largest international improv festival in Europe! It includes four jam-packed days of 16 improv shows and 40 workshops. Professional improvisers have actually made the journey here from all around the world, making this a festival a MUST for all fans of improv. Here’s where you can read about our experience at the BIG IF 5 Festival!
Unique Theatre Offerings
La Puntual is purely a puppet theatre that regularly produces new shows for children and adults alike. Although most of their works are in Spanish or Catalan, they also put on shows that are free of words and internationally accessible.
Theatre Education
This theatre company is home to many different residencies, labs, and theatre-related events. They are currently offering residencies for entrepreneurship and international artists.
Theatre Degree Programs
Institute of the Arts Barcelona➝ – BA degree in Acting (Hons)
Institute of the Arts Barcelona➝ – MA in Dance, Musical Theatre, and Circus Arts
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Have something to add something to our Barcelona Theatre Guide?
If so, feel free to send us a message or share in the comments so that we can add it to the list. And in the meantime, you can always read up on our other theatre visits!
Author: Stacy Karyn
Stacy Karyn is the founder of Theatre Trip, author of The Thespian’s Bucket List, and creator of The Cast Album List. She holds a BA in theatre, a TESOL drama certificate, and has worked and interned with Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.