El Teatre Lliure

After Lluís Pasqual's resignation, Juan Carlos Martel Bayod was elected for the first time in an open public competitive process. Since 1 February, 2019, the Teatre Lliure has focused on four areas of action: the stage, culture, education and society, by means of theatrical programming that is attentive to the needs of hybrid scenic creativity, creating spaces for debate and specialists in non-theatrical fields, creating a specific educational programme to take the performing arts to primary and secondary schools, and creating synergies with cultural and third sector organisations both on and off stage.

This has led to projects including Katharsis, the Escola de pensament [School of Thought], El Lliure del futur [of the Future], the Carlota Soldevila Grants for creative output and following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Teatre Lliure's Online Theatre, with the Lliure al sofà [on the couch], Radio drama and Clàssics per a criatures [for Children] programmes.

The shows include two versions of Anton Chekhov's Les tres germanes [The Three Sisters] - one directed by Susanne Kennedy and the other by Julio Manrique, El quadern daurat [The Golden Notebook] by Doris Lessing, adapted and directed by Carlota Subirós, Bonus Track by Carol López and La nostra parcel·la [Our plot], by Lara Díaz Quintanilla.

2011/2018

Àlex Rigola's term of office was limited to two terms. After this period came to an end, Lluís Pasqual, a stage director and founding member of the Teatre Lliure, was again offered the opportunity to become the director. The theatre became a leading creative centre, willing to address the consequences of the financial crisis caused by the real estate bubble bursting.

Large-format shows and with broad appeal to audiences were produced, young artists from all over Spain were given a voice, the theatre established its own company with young actors, La Kompanyia Lliure, as well as a theatre series for children, El Lliure dels nens [The Lliure for children]. There were also initiatives to support independent artists, such as the Aixopluc [Shelter] Project, and those adopting new theatrical trends, such as NOSaltres – mostra de teatre inclusiu [WEother - inclusive theatre show], and the social cooperation project De Damasc a Idomeni [From Damascus to Idomeni]. Exhibitions related to major figures linked to the stage were also staged. The ties with Italian/Neapolitan and Argentine theatre and with the French and the Russian stage were also strengthened. In the international arena, the Teatre Lliure left the Union of the Theatres of Europe and joined the mitos21 network through the personal membership of Lluís Pasqual.

This period also included the celebration of the Lliure's fortieth anniversary, with the revival of Fabià Puigserver's production and stage design of Les noces de Fígaro [The Marriage of Figaro] by Caron de Beaumarchais now directed by Lluís Homar, and the presentation of a memorial exhibition, among other initiatives. At the same time, efforts were made to attract younger audiences with the Agitadors Lliures [Lliure Agitators] project, and to raise the profile of the special characteristics of the performing arts with the Els oficis del teatre [The crafts of the theatre] workshops for audiences.

The productions from this period include In memoriam. La quinta del biberó [In memoriam. The baby bottle conscripts] by Lluís Pasqual; Àngels a Amèrica [Angels in America], by Tony Kushner directed by David Selvas; Moby Dick, un viatge pel teatre [Moby Dick, journey through the theatre], by Herman Melville, directed by Juan Carlos Martel Bayod; El rei Lear [King Lear], by William Shakespeare directed by Lluís Pasqual; Maria Estuard [Mary Stuart], by Friedrich Schiller, a version directed by Sergi Belbel; Ivan i els gossos [Ivan and the Dogs], by Hattie Naylor, directed by Pau Carrió; L'onada [The third wave], by Ignacio García May, directed by Marc Montserrat-Drukker, and Els ferèstecs [The boors], by Carlo Goldoni, directed by Lluís Pasqual, among many others.

2003/2011

After sudden death of Josep Montanyès, Lluís Pasqual was offered the opportunity to become the director. He ultimately declined, and the Lliure struck out in a new direction under the leadership of Àlex Rigola. The responsibilities for programming were shared for the first time with the creation of the ADT (Artistic Direction Team), with Joan Ollé, who soon left and was replaced by Xavier Albertí, Guillem-Jordi Graells, Narcís Puig, Carlota Subirós and later, by Salvador Sunyer. During this period, the theatre work ed with contemporary European and American art, and was influenced above all by the activities of the Schaubühne and the Volskbühne in Germany and the alternative scene in Argentina.

It was a period of expansion and consolidation as a creative centre in Montjuïc, during which the Sala de Gràcia was also refurbished and reopened. A stable company of performers was established and the Lliure's productions toured Spain, Europe and even other continents. At the same time, the Lliure presented first-rate international productions that gave a direct perspective on new theatrical models. Special attention was paid to artists working on the fringes of the theatre, with the creation of the Radicals Lliure [Free Radicals] series, which also facilitated performance programming networks. Artistic residencies were also established, in recognition of artists including Carles Santos and Cesc Gelabert, as well as the partnership with the Institut del Teatre for the Open Rehearsals programme for graduates in theatrical direction. On the other hand, the Teatre Lliure Chamber Orchestra closed.

At an internal level, the digitalisation of the theatre's documentary material began, other ways of relating to the public and the media were established, which were also defined by the new online digital channels, and talks, other types of debate and relationships between the artists and audiences were also encouraged. The EDA published the magazine DDT - a collection of theoretical texts on theatre and dance, which also aimed to promote this intersection of knowledge.

The productions included Gata sobre teulada de zinc calenta [Cat on a hot tin roof], by Tennessee Williams, directed by Àlex Rigola; Dues dones que ballen [Two women dancing], by Josep Maria Benet i Jornet, directed by Xavier Albertí; Rock’n’roll, by Tom Stoppard, directed by Àlex Rigola; American Buffalo, by David Mamet, directed by Julio Manrique; 2666, by Roberto Bolaño, directed by Àlex Rigola; La meua filla soc jo [I am my daughter], by Carles Santos; Un matrimoni de Boston [Boston marriage], by David Mamet, directed by Josep Maria Mestres; Els estiuejants [Summerfolk], by Màksim Gorki directed by Carlota Subirós; L’oncle Vània [Uncle Vania], by Anton Chekhov, directed by Joan Ollé and Santa Joana dels Escorxadors, by Bertolt Brecht, directed by Àlex Rigola, among many others.

2001/2002

The Montjuïc theatre opened on 22 November 2001, with the première of the opera L'adéu de Lucrècia Borja [The farewell of Lucrezia Borja] by Carles Santos. The project was finally made possible by the work and efforts of the theatre director Josep Montanyès and the ordinary financing agreement between Barcelona City Council, Barcelona Provincial Council, the Government of Catalonia and the Spanish Ministry of Culture, with the specific contribution to the work on the new venue by the Spanish Ministry of Public Works.

This finally began the period of the Lliure's growth and consolidation as a centre of creation on the European stage, with cutting-edge facilities enabling work at an optimum level based on the time-honoured tradition of the theatre. However, the initial period was brief due to the sudden death of Montanyès a year after the new venue's inauguration.

This first season at Montjuïc included the productions Suzuki I and II, by Aleksei Xipenko directed by Àlex Rigola; Víctor o els nens al poder [Victor, or Power to the Children], by Roger Vitrac directed by Joan Ollé; Cara de foc [Fireface], by Marius von Mayenburg directed by Carme Portaceli, and Ronda de mort a Sinera [Round of death in Sinera], by Salvador Espriu, directed by Ricard Salvat.

1995/2001

During these years, the theatre was managed first by Lluís Homar, then jointly by Guillem-Jordi Graells and Lluís Pasqual, and finally by Josep Montanyès. The Lliure expanded and consolidated, and celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 1996. The initial projects grew and based on the legacy of Fabià Puigserver, Montanyès played a key role in the developments for a plan for a new venue in the former Palau de l'Agricultura in Montjuïc. Montanyès managed and promoted the works, and led the Foundation to do so, as well as the associated companies and artists.

These were years of agreements, projects and changes, in which the Teatre Lliure Chamber Orchestra celebrated its tenth anniversary, an exhibition paying tribute to Fabià Puigserver was organised (the Union of the Theatres of Europe UTE had already staged one at the Pompidou Centre in Paris), the Lliure's large-format productions premièred in other theatres, and Spanish and European theatrical and musical tours took place.
The commitment of the Teatre Lliure is also evident in its leadership of the project to create the Ciutat del Teatre [Theatre City], of which Lluís Pasqual is the commissioner; Antoni Dalmau is the deputy commissioner; Josep Montanyès, the manager, and Josep Maria Socias Humbert, the secretary.

These years saw productions of Els bandits [The robbers] by Friedrich Schiller, directed by Lluís Homar (at the Mercat de les Flors); Els temps i l’habitació [Time and the room], by Botho Strauss, directed by Lluís Homar (at the Teatre Romea); Company, by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth, directed by Calixto Bieito and Lluís Vidal (at the Mercat de les Flors and the TNC); Amfitrió [Amphitryon], by Molière, directed by Calixto Bieito; La pantera imperial [The imperial panther], by Carles Santos; Tot esperant Godot [Waiting for Godot], by Samuel Beckett directed by Lluís Pasqual, and L'hort dels cirerers [Cherry Orchard], by Anton Chekhov, directed by Lluís Pasqual.

1987/1994

The Teatre Lliure celebrated its tenth anniversary, and the stability it had achieved as a theatre and as a company was evident in the opportunity to establish itself in another venue. A new legal personality was needed to achieve this, which had to be different from the cooperative society that had existed until that point, and a private foundation was established with Antoni Dalmau as the president. These plans for the future initially included creating a venue in the Les Arenes bullring, and finally, in the Palau de l'Agricultura in Montjuïc.

The new venue aimed to accommodate new needs: to stage the theatre's own large-format productions, co-productions, to give a voice to Catalan national drama, to do youth theatre, to expand music and dance productions, to produce educational and parallel activities, to build a documentary archive, to produce publications, to distribute shows and to meet the needs of the public and professionals in the broadest sense.

The Lliure also achieved international prestige, and became one of the founding members of the UTE, the Union of the Theatres of Europe.

Fabià Puigserver, the architect of the renewal, died of AIDS on 31 July 1991, and was succeeded by Lluís Pasqual (from the Théâtre de l'Odéon in Paris, who is the current director). Josep Montanyès and Guillem-Jordi Graells, the deputy directors, were responsible for the management in Barcelona. In 1992, Lluís Homar took over the management for a stable period of two three-year terms.

This period saw the premières of La bona persona del Sezuan [The Good Person of Szechwan], by Bertolt Brecht, Les noces de Fígaro [The Marriage of Figaro], by Caron de Beaumarchais and Terra Baixa, by Àngel Guimerà, directed by Fabià Puigserver; El manuscrit d’Ali Bei [The manuscript of Ali Bei], by Josep Maria Benet i Jornet, directed by Josep Montanyès; Maria Estuard [Mary Stuart], by Friedrich Schiller, directed by Josep Montanyès; Timon d’Atenes [Timon of Athens], by William Shakespeare, directed by Ariel García Valdés; Dansa d’agost [Dancing at Lughnasa], by Brian Friel, directed by Pere Planella; Lorenzaccio, Lorenzaccio, by Alfred de Musset, Capvespre al jardí [Evening in the garden], by Ramon Gomis, and Roberto Zucco, by Bernard-Marie Koltès, directed by Lluís Pasqual, among others.

1975/1986

The Teatre Lliure opened its doors on 2 December 1976, and as such it was founded at the start of the transition to democracy after the Franco dictatorship. It was established in response to the desire for freedom, cultural reconstruction and innovation of the society of that time.
Those aspirations were reflected both in the theatre's name, the Lliure [Free], and in this conception of the theatrical space, the relationship with the audience, and artistic expression itself.

The director and stage designer Fabià Puigserver, who was trained in Polish art schools due to his family's exile from Spain, brought together a group of young artists who were eager to create a theatre that was different from the established theatres of the time. Inspired by the Italian model of the Piccolo Teatro in Milan and by the French model, the Lliure aimed to make 'an art theatre for everyone' with a stable and professional company, in a multi-purpose space that breach the gap with the audience, and in the Catalan language. The aim of this art theatre was to stage the great plays in the European theatrical repertoire, and give a voice to Catalonia's contemporary authors in the field of the performing arts.

The Teatre Lliure Chamber Orchestra was created under the direction of Josep Pons, and external directors such as Carme Portaceli, Albert Boadella, Jordi Mesalles and Carlos Gandolfo joined later on.

This period included iconic productions such as Camí de nit, 1854, directed by Lluís Pasqual; Ascensió i caiguda de la ciutat de Mahagonny [The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny], by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, directed by Fabià Puigserver and Carles Santos; La cacatua verda [The green cockatoo], by Arthur Schnitzler directed by Pere Planella; Leonci i Lena [Leonce and Lena], by Georg Büchner ad directed by Lluís Pasqual; La bella Helena [The beautiful Helena], by Peter Hacks, directed by Pere Planella; El balcó [The balcony], by Jean Genet, directed by Lluís Pasqual; Operació Ubú [Operation Ubú], based on Alfred Jarry, and directed by Albert Boadella; L’Hèroe [The hero], by Santiago Rusiñol, directed by Fabià Puigserver, and the first choreographic and plastic projects by Cesc Gelabert and Frederic Amat.