Barcelona is launching the 50th Grec Festival—the biggest cultural event of the summer, which this year celebrates several anniversaries. On June 29, the amphitheater will open with an impressive program of 99 performances, including 38 co-productions with leading theaters and companies. Key participants include Calixto Bieito, Àlex Rigola, Angélica Liddell, and Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker. Organizers have announced not only an extensive lineup, but also unique projects connected to the festival’s history and the city’s iconic locations.
Major Premieres and New Formats
Grec will open with the show L’òpera de tres rals, which will then start the new season at the Teatre Lliure. The program includes a documentary about the festival’s early years, created by four directors and featuring memories from 1976 participants such as Mario Gas. For the first time in Grec’s history, a joint project with Sagrada Familia will take place: the concert Arrels de llum will mark several anniversaries at once, including Gaudí’s centenary. In total, audiences can expect 43 theatrical productions, 19 music concerts, 22 dance shows, 7 circus acts, 4 film screenings, and 4 art installations. Nearly 200,000 tickets will go on sale, with over 36,000 for the festival’s main venue.
Stage Stars and Unexpected Productions
Among the most anticipated events are La verdadera historia de Ricardo III directed by Calixto Bieito featuring Teatro San Martín from Buenos Aires, as well as a new version of Somni d’una nit d’estiu by Àlex Rigola, where Shakespearean woods are relocated to the 1960s. Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker and Rosas will present Brel, based on the songs of Jacques Brel, and Angélica Liddell will stage Seppuku — a performance about Mishima that will be held at an unusual hour: 4:45 am. Other premieres include Ophelia’s got talent by Florentina Holzinger, which blends dance, acrobatics, and extreme performance art focused on myths of water and femininity. The amphitheater will also host Mal Pelo with Inventions, Tao Dance Theater, Yerai Cortés with a new album, and the music project Les flors prohibides will be dedicated to supporting Palestine.
International projects and new themes
Grec’s program includes Wasted Land, a play by South African director Ntando Cele inspired by T.S. Eliot, dedicated to the issue of waste and the climate crisis. The South Korean collective Elephants laught will present Muljil — a performance about the traditional haenyeo divers from Jeju Island, while Sung Im Her will showcase 1 degree Celsius, also addressing ecological concerns. At Mercat de les Flors, Zora Snake will perform Combat des lianes and the Hofesh Shechter Company will deliver Theatre of dreams. International guests include Christiane Jatahy with Un julgamento inspired by Ibsen, and Romeo Castellucci with the installation Creure en les màsqueres at CCCB. The same center will host La mateixa diferencia, a project exploring the role of dance in issues of gender and sexuality.
Theater, music, and memory
At Teatre Romea, audiences will see an unusual version of El retrat de Dorian Gray with Àngels Gonyalons performing all the roles, while TNC will present the modern opera Madame Bovary by Carme Portaceli. Poliorama will host the comedy La truita with Emma Vilarasau, and Sala Montjuïc will bring back open-air cinema. The program also features circus shows, family performances, and Japanese taiko drumming at Teatre Apolo. A special place in the anniversary Grec goes to the Asia-heavy metal project, which at Macba and La Model recalls the underground actions of Carles Santos and Pere Portabella during the Franco era.
At the presentation, Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni emphasized that Grec maintains the spirit of change and freedom established in 1976. According to him, the current program reflects the festival’s best traditions, bringing together renowned masters, new names, and the city’s cultural institutions. Authorities note a growing interest in theater in Catalonia and stress that Grec remains a symbol of Barcelona’s love for the performing arts.
