“We have begun a new phase, but with the will to continue to do what has already been well done, and continue with the footprint of this Sample this is the impetus for diffusion and contemporary Spanish authorship. And that’s what we’re going to do.” Art and Music to this project.
A wide variety of formats, different themes, dedication to professionals, a change in the format of the honored author who would in this case be Guillermo Heras (director of this meeting from his founding to last year) and events to celebrate this thirtieth edition will be held from November 4-12, but about conquering the public are structuring the lines of work for the new person in charge of this meeting.
The desire to attract the audience led the new team to pursue thematic diversity. “We thought about what 21st century citizens should hear, what it means to be a woman or home in society, how the loss of traditions affects us or how the individual relates to nature.”
The program of 15 landscape shows has been edited and it is normal to have two or even one show per day so that the public cannot attend more than one show on the same day. “We put a lot of thought into programming to invite citizens to explore dramaturgy”.
Pérez Blanquer emphasized the diversity of formats, from the most intimate with the complicity of the audience “like Castroponce”. Theory and praxis for the 21st century avant-garde”, by Pablo Rosal, or large-format proposals, such as the new collaboration we launched with Teatro Principal, through this Manolita Chen, a Chinese story and Los farsantes, aka a return to the theater of Javier Cámara.
Other performances validate the imagination from an almost empty stage space, such as the performance of El Conde de Torrefiel that breathes in the garden as in the woods; or Acorar, Toni Gomila’s extraordinary theatrical phenomenon. “We also combine more traditional formats such as Altsasu from La Dramatica Errante or El viaje del salmon from Toni Misó and Guille Zavala with offerings that are much more technological or multimedia-driven.” Agrupacion Sr. This is the case of The Mountain, Serrano’s unique reflection on post-truth culture.
This year’s program features fiction-dominated works, as well as documentaries such as Casa by the Cross Border Project, and others experimenting with their own fiction, such as the ecofeminist drama Talaré a los hombres sobre la face de la. Tierra written and directed by María Velasco, winner of the 2022 Max Best Writing Award.
The program will also bring newly created productions to Alicante, such as Xavo Giménez’s Las Danesas and Gemma Miralles’ Pau, both of which are IVC’s own productions. This also applies to La Pármaco’s Todos las Santas, which will be performed at the Arniches after its absolute premiere at the FIT in Cádiz and represents the choreographer Luz Arcas’ first entry into text theatre.
30th anniversary celebration
The thirtieth anniversary will be celebrated with three special acts. The first, Meeting Point, is a collective memory exercise coordinated by Noemí Rodriguez, co-director of Teatro En Vilo. This is a pilot proposal developed by the Consorci de Museus in collaboration with the Program for Experimental Education and Mediation with the Art of Permea and designed by Alicante mediation platform La Cuarta Piel.
30 Voice projects featuring 30 written testimonies from leading writers on the national drama scene to lay the foundations for the future of the Show from an expanded and different perspective. Fifteen of them were asked to run a collective memory project to review the past achievements of the Exhibition, “and there would be another fifteen to take a tribute to Guillermo Heras and a glimpse into the future.
In this sense, he stated that the format of the tribute has been changed, although there was an action with “surprise guests” at the Teatre Arniches on November 15.
The exhibition also wants to be a meeting and thinking space for professionals. With the support of the Consorci de Museus de la Generalitat Valenciana, dozens of writers and public and private sector executives will meet at the First State Meeting of Professional Playwriting Associations on 5-6 November. In addition, 5 x 20 Translation Sessions will be held in collaboration with Accion Cultural Española.
This year the courses have been expanded in addition to playwrights, dancers, artists, teaching professionals and audience members. María Velasco, Luz Arcas and Lucia Miranda were recruited for this training segment. There will also be room for discussions around new forms of authorship, such as how to transfer body-born stage representations such as performances, starring Argentine publisher Gabriela Halac, María Velasco and Luz Arcas, into editorial formats. or dance.
Interinstitutional work
“It is everyone’s job to save this meeting,” said Joan Francesc Marco, managing director of INAEM, emphasizing the work carried out by Heras during these years. “But those of us who have the responsibility of managing the culture have an obligation to always be nervous in order to thrive.”
Inter-institutional agreement forms the basis of the functioning of the Exhibition and is something also highlighted by Julia Parra, Assistant for Culture. “Alicante and Sergi are a pair that works so well as we believe in the project enthusiastically and continue to do it 30 years later, as an example of inter-institutional collaboration.”
Roberto García, assistant director of Theater at IVC, who made Teatre Arniches and two shows available for this meeting, wanted to recognize Guillermo Heras’ work because many playwrights “experienced this Show as a space for growth.”
Alicante Cultural Council Member Antonio Manresa also underlined the agreement between the administrations and underlined the need to “give a new impetus to the exhibition”.
“Contemporary dramaturgy is in a wonderful moment,” said Rubén Gutiérrez, director of the SGAE Foundation, “but there is still a need for space, the capacity to strengthen and establish it and at the same time internationalize it.”
In search of a legal management formula
The future of the Writers’ Exhibition is based not only on support and budget, but also on a legal formula that guarantees its continuity and which has been talked about for years, albeit without saying anything.
In this sense, Joan Francesc Marco, managing director of INAEM, hopes that in the next edition we have “found this formula”, which she assures is already being worked on. “We are currently working on a legal proposal, although it is not easy as it is not an ideal solution; we need to see what model guarantees the stability of this Fair and we hope to find it in a few months.”
For Roberto García, assistant director of IVC Theater, “Defining the legal nature of the show is a step of growth and maturation”. Something that hasn’t been dealt with concretely until now.
Regarding the possibility of increasing the budget, Marco said, “There is a commitment to allocate all possible resources; in the case of INAEM, there is certainty that there will be contributions from at least last year.”
In this sense, Alicante Cultural Council Member Antonio Manresa explained that the municipal contribution has already been increased this year, assuming two shows to be seen at the Director “and next year we want to put it in the budget”.