Por Ismael Buendia 
The Department of Culture has organized nearly twenty workshops and performances to celebrate World Theatre Day. The program, aimed at all audiences, will unfold in libraries, museums, archaeological sites, and theatrical spaces that have joined the commemoration of March 27th, with a special focus on the youngest ones.
Minister Patricia del Pozo highlighted «the transformative potential of theater, and we must ensure that it reaches everyone through initiatives like this and others that we carry out through the Department, such as the Andalusian Theatre Network, which has been joined by no less than 70 municipalities this year.»
The Center for Research and Resources of the Performing Arts of Andalusia will host the central event for the commemoration, with the reading of the manifesto by Sevillian Edi Carrascal, who combines her work as an actress with teaching. Additionally, there will be the presentation of the 31st edition of the Dramatic Texts Collection, featuring the works ‘My soul elsewhere’ by José Manuel Mora, ‘Here comes the wolf’ by Gonzalo Lloret, ‘Throw flowers’ by Juan Manuel Cabañas, and ‘Franco, the return’ by Javier Berger.
This is the final volume of the five dedicated to the winners and finalists of the Miguel Romero Esteo Theater Texts Award for Young Authors from Andalusia. The event will also showcase some of the promotional activities that the center will carry out to encourage dramatic literature among young people.
In Almería, the celebration will be led by the Francisco Villaespesa Library, with the fourth edition of the ‘Playwrights on Stage’ series, coinciding with the day after World Theatre Day. For the occasion, the play ‘Every day I lied’, by Marta Aran will be performed, who won the Max Award for best emerging author in 2020 for this work.
In Cádiz, the Provincial Library will also serve as a stage, hosting a performance by the La Gaviota company presenting the play ‘The same story’, based on the texts of Darío Fo and Franca Rame, ‘Eight theater monologues’, and ‘Let’s have peaceful sex’.
The Library of Córdoba has organized the workshop ‘Let’s do theater at the library’ for March 28, aiming to introduce parents and children to the world of performing arts through games and group dynamics to learn how to use their voice and body like actors.
The celebration also includes the Archaeological and Ethnological Museum of the city, offering another workshop titled ‘Rehearsal of a play’. Additionally, it will showcase in open sessions how the students from the Rafael Álvarez el Brujo Theater Classroom at the University of Córdoba rehearse, performing ‘A View from the Bridge’ (Arthur Miller, 1955), ‘Blood Wedding’ (Federico García Lorca, 1933), and ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’ (Federico García Lorca, 1935).
The Library of Granada has curated a bibliographic selection of theatrical works ranging from classic masterpieces to innovative proposals, including comedies, tragedies, monologues, and unforgettable characters that are part of this literary genre. The exhibition will be open from March 24 to April 21.
The Alhambra Theater, managed by the Department of Culture and Sports, will present ‘The Disappearing Act’ on the weekend of March 28 and 29, the first solo production by flamenco dancer Yinka Esi Graves, of Jamaican father and Ghanaian mother, who trained in the UK.
The Archaeological Ensemble of Cástulo, located in Linares, has planned itinerant theatrical performances throughout the area by the groups ‘La Irremediable Compañía’ and ‘Teatro La Paca’. The Archaeological Museum of Linares will also host a performance, opting for the classics on this occasion, specifically, ‘Medea’ by Euripides.
The Museum of Jaén has organized a shadow theater workshop by setting up small stages with cardboard and a projection screen to tell stories through silhouettes. Simultaneously, the Iberian Museum will feature a loose adaptation of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ with a humorous twist and a theatrical visit through the museum, with Iberian characters and archaeologists as protagonists. Finally, the Provincial Library of Jaén will carry out dramatized readings by the reading club.
The Museum of Málaga will celebrate this day with performances within the Greek-Latin Theater Festival, aimed at high school and secondary school students. On Thursday, March 27, the Cánovas Theater has scheduled a Spanish Dance Graduation Show titled ‘Room 20’ (with performances at 12 and 8 pm). Before each show, a young artist will read the International Theatre Day manifesto.
In Seville, the Central Theater, also managed by the Regional Government, will host the performance of ‘Casting Lear’, an adaptation by Andrea Jiménez of William Shakespeare’s tragedy, where the author will direct a different actor each night in the role of Lear. Through this exercise, Andrea Jiménez initiates a dialogue on parenthood, love, and forgiveness.
About Theatre Day
World Theatre Day is promoted by the International Theatre Institute (ITI), celebrated every March 27th since 1961. The date was chosen in memory of the opening of the Theatre of Nations Festival held in Paris in 1957. Institutions from around the world participate in this commemoration, organizing numerous events and reading manifestos in defense of the performing arts.