Celebrating its thirty‑first edition in Alicante, the Guillermo Heras Spanish Contemporary Writers Theater Exhibition ran from December 3 to 11, drawing wide attention through a diverse program that included 15 theater productions and two participatory projects spread across multiple venues in the city. With this edition, the event advances toward the new phase that began with last year’s 30th anniversary, steered by art director Monica Perez Blanquer.
Three performances this year sold out completely: a piece related to José Sanchis Sinisterra, a production connected to Maria Goiricelaya, and Woman on treadmill on black background by Alessandra Garcia. These sold-out shows illustrate the festival’s ability to attract a varied audience. The programming philosophy aims to present a broad view of contemporary dramaturgy across all Spanish territories, balancing classic works with bold, experimental pieces that push new linguistic and formal boundaries, according to the artistic director.
The installation Recreationa Federico at MACA and the accompanying Paco Pena project drew approximately 2,500 visitors to the Alicante Museum of Contemporary Art. The collaboration with institutions such as MACA helped bring in new audiences to the exhibition. Last year featured a participatory performance bridging the artscape with modern dramaturgy, and a bridge was built between plastic art and live theater. The installation by Álex Peña invites reflection on the legacy of a pivotal writer, while the broader program seeks to expand the public’s sense of what theater and dramaturgy can be. The art director notes that these efforts represent a first step toward engaging an audience that may not traditionally attend theaters, broadening the reach of contemporary dramatic literature.
The professional days of the Alicante Exhibition and Theater emphasized the needs of the field in areas such as professional development and cultural press, while also highlighting the translation process and program editing. The conversations focused on strategies to increase the visibility of current Spanish dramaturgy and to explore international formats that could help the scene reach a wider audience. Associations participating in these discussions have contributed to developing practical guides for good practices in writing and presentation.
Alessandra Garcia and Paco Bezerra led training activities that sold out all forty available places, mirroring last year’s success. This year also introduced a dramatic creation workshop for children, led by Jana Pacheco, paired with a tribute to Guillermo Heras. The event honored the late director by revisiting a collection of texts and letters created in collaboration with about a dozen Latin American creators. The presence of the former director’s voice at tables of discussion and in the exhibition of literary materials underscored a shared commitment to nurturing intergenerational dialogue within contemporary Spanish dramaturgy.
Alicante, a hub for modern Spanish dramaturgy
During the professional conferences, topics such as programming, editing, cultural press, and translation were explored to identify improvement strategies for visibility in the current scene. New formats for internationalization were examined, and professional associations worked on developing best practices guides to help standardize and elevate production and dissemination processes across markets. A consistent goal was to cultivate higher standards of dramaturgy while finding effective pathways for global exposure.
Training initiatives and workshops continued to draw interest, with the participation of leading figures in contemporary theater. The event also featured a proposal for a children’s dramatic creation workshop, expanding the scope of engagement beyond adult audiences. The sense of continuity was further reinforced by the involvement of a celebrated figure from the festival’s history, who contributed to roundtable discussions and to the exhibition of texts and letters that united a dozen Latin American creators in a shared dialogue about the craft. This cross‑cultural exchange underscored the festival’s role as a space where Spanish-language dramaturgy meets international perspectives, inviting audiences to rethink what theater can be in the modern era.
Digitization of Dramaturgy Notebooks
In a move to broaden access to contemporary dramatic writings, 27 issues of Uzmanlik magazine were migrated to a digital format and made available to the public. The Dramaturgy Notebooks project, combined with three copies of the new publication Sounds featuring works by prominent contemporary Spanish writers, expanded the ecosystem for readers and practitioners alike. The festival’s website now provides access to more than eighty dramatic texts, ensuring that scholars, students, and theater lovers can explore a wider range of works from the current Spanish dramaturgy landscape. This digitization effort aligns with ongoing trends toward open access and archival preservation in the performing arts, enabling ongoing study and discovery for audiences beyond the physical venues.