Let’s imagine a bold new drama course that imagines Shakespeare as a living, growing doorway into modern theater. In October, the University of Alicante launched a program led by the playwrights Juan Luis Mira and Francesc Sanguino, along with the theater director Xiomara Wanden. The initiative emerged from the Vice Rector’s Office of Culture, turning a traditional radio theatre competition into a platform for collegiate creativity. The course is designed to culminate with a final presentation, but the project intends to spark a larger, lasting effort that nurtures new voices in Alicante’s dramaturgy scene.
The creators envision a pool of writers and a channel opening for aspiring professionals in dramatic fiction. Mira and Sanguino describe this first year as a pilot dedicated to radio drama, with a final project titled A Study of Waves that is built as a collaborative student-led exploration.
Their aim is for each edition to expand beyond radio, exploring additional dramatic formats and genres. The course can help students write for stage, screen, or serialized fiction, but the initial emphasis on radio has sparked renewed interest in dramatized storytelling and podcast formats in recent years.
In essence, the teachers see this as the start of a dramatic program grounded in practical, technical training. For the first time at the university, they are building on professional pathways that connect study with real-world production.
Intergenerational students
The cohort includes undergraduate, graduate, and lifelong learners enrolled through the UA Permanent University, creating a notably diverse group. The team behind the project emphasizes collaboration with the Vice-Rector for Culture and the broader university community.
Iliescu explains: the class writes dialogues and short scenes, assembling hundreds of words that can spark a theatrical exchange. Each participant crafts their own scene. It remains to be seen whether several pieces will be combined or if a single script will be selected for the final exercise and performed. The course, she notes, is very comprehensive and rewarding.
After an initial briefing, Sanguino and Mira structure the course as a 60-hour, six-credit program dedicated to intensive writing. The approach begins with imitation: students work with texts from established authors like Jordi Galcerán and Sergi Belver to discover rhythm and voice, then progress to original writing. Beyond writing, each student participates in the staging process, offering an opportunity to act and collaborate as a team.
Practice with the public
The final phase unfolds on stage in a public performance, scheduled for February 29, and the workshop’s last class will invite the community to attend. The organizers hope the event will illuminate what theater can become when radio and live performance intersect.
Both Mira and Sanguino feel excited about the project and see it as a natural extension of Alicante’s proud theatrical tradition, home to writers and performers who have shaped the regional stage for generations. The hope is that a future writer might publicly acknowledge creating their first dialogue in this program, a moment that signals the beginning of a dramatic journey and a personal exploration of Shakespearean spirit in a modern setting.