The Alicante Contemporary Writers Spanish Theater Exhibition has lived on a fixed budget for a decade, a reality that has constrained how the event is staged, promoted, and presented with the most current stage props. The landscape is changing now. In 2023, the cultural landscape shifted as the Ministry of Culture and the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music allocated funding to support authors and the theater scene. A total of 240,000 euros was earmarked for authors, drawn from the state’s general budgets. This amount is meaningful and helped push the edition to be the 30th in its history, contributing 163,430 euros to the year’s program.
During the cycle’s Madrid launch on October 3, the INAEM director, Joan Francesc Marco, emphasized the aim to provide all possible resources to the project. He noted that even if the requested budgets did not arrive, the organization would proceed with a realignment that could result in an increase of around 80,000 euros for the 2023 edition, ensuring continuity and growth for the event.
Guillermo Heras: “Institutions must decide if they want the Theater Show in Alicante”
Funding for the upcoming year was projected to reach 30,000 euros, with ongoing support from the County Council. The Alicante City Council contributed around 10,000 euros, a figure that had fluctuated in recent years. The Teatro Principal agreed to cover the cache for two shows this year. The Instituto Valenciano de Cultura (IVC) recognized its role in two productions and facilitated the transfer of responsibilities for the Teatre Arniches, while the SGAE Foundation offered support. The University of Alicante also took on the cache for a production in the auditorium, ensuring a robust backing from higher education and cultural organizations.
As a result, the cash budget for the Alicante Authors Show next year was projected to reach 280,000 euros, subject to possible increases from other institutions. This would mark a substantial rise from the 212,000 euros allocated for the edition running from November 4 to 12.
Guillermo Heras’ decision to step down from his role at the end of the previous year raised questions about whether the theater show would continue. While institutions broadly supported keeping the event alive and expanding it in subsequent editions, some performing arts associations and groups voiced concerns about the possible disappearance of the show without sustained backing.
INAEM considers Alicante Theater Show “strategic”
From INAEM’s perspective, the encounter with the contemporary scene is described as a strategic structure for INAEM, seen as an essential tool for promoting, supporting, and nurturing contemporary theatrical creativity and authorship. The appointment of Mónica Pérez Blanquer as director in April signaled a commitment to continuity, though the transition remained official only in July. Its inclusion in the 2023 General Government Budgets and the corresponding funding guarantees its future for now.