The Temporada Alta festival in Girona and Salt will mark its 35th edition with an international programme. Running from 3 October to 8 December, it will present 91 performances, including 22 world premieres and 16 international productions. A basic date in Spain’s cultural calendar, the festival will bring together acclaimed figures in contemporary theatre and dance, including Needcompany, Peeping Tom, Romeo Castellucci, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Christiane Jatahy, Claudio Tolcachir, and Guy Cassiers.
Organisers have confirmed that 45,436 tickets will go on sale from 3 September. The festival has a budget of €3,153,000, of which €800,000 comes from the Generalitat de Cataluña. That backing reflects the event’s significance for the region and the wider Spanish performing arts scene.
The opening performance will be Has Been, a collaboration between choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and circus artist Martin Zimmermann. Among the expected world premieres are Everything must change by Needcompany and Le salón ‘revisited’ by Peeping Tom, a new take on one of the company’s signature works. Romeo Castellucci will present a reinterpretation of the Faust myth, while Claudio Tolcachir’s The forest will feature Pina Bausch company dancer Cristiana Morganti. Guy Cassiers and actress Valérie Dréville will stage Théséz, sa vie Nouvelle, exploring memory and Europe’s reconstruction through the work of French essayist Camille de Toledo.
Catalan and Spanish creators will have a strong presence, including La Veronal, Mal Pelo, Baró d’Evel, Lluïsa Cunillé, Jordi Casanovas, Victoria Szpunberg, Carlota Gurt, and Ramon Madaula. The music programme will feature Pink Martini, Martirio, and Eliades Ochoa, a veteran of the Buenavista Social Club.
Other international entries include Hermanos Ibarra Roa with La muerte del padre and Oligor y Microscopia with Museo de los relámpagos, both part of the Ibero-American Connection section. Brazilian director Christiane Jatahy will return with Júlia - 15 anys més tard, revisiting her acclaimed adaptation of Strindberg’s Miss Julie. Co-produced with Teatre Lliure, the production stars Júlia Genís and Moha Amazian.
Baró d’Evel’s Marc Pesarck Blaï Mateu will present LAB: A la recerca de ‘Qui soc?’ alongside his father, Tortell Poltrona. The work offers a glimpse into the creative process behind the Franco-Catalan company’s next production. Mal Pelo will debut Bach en familia, continuing its exploration of Johann Sebastian Bach’s music.
A total of 66 Catalan productions across genres and formats will be staged. The Spanish theatre scene will also feature Pablo Messiez with La forma humana and Personas, lugares y cosas; Pablo Remón and Javier Cámara with Verborrea; Rocío Molina with Calentamiento; and Lolita Flores, reprising her role in Poncia.
The festival’s Big Bang contemporary creation week will run from 19 to 22 November. It will focus on works with international touring potential and encourage links among artists, companies, and programmers. The programme includes a screening of Qui som, a film by Salvador Sunyer i Vidal about Baró d’evel, alongside 10 performances.
Temporada Alta will take place at 22 venues in nine Catalan municipalities, with Maçanet de la Selva joining as a new satellite location. Festival director Narcís Puig highlighted the event’s growth since its inception: it has presented 2,253 performances and welcomed 1,302,620 spectators to date. He said the festival remains committed to supporting artistic creation and opening new perspectives, while building connections with audiences and the region.
Temporada Alta has become a reference point for contemporary performing arts in Spain and regularly draws international attention. Its combination of established and emerging talent, alongside a focus on premieres and cross-border collaborations, has made it a platform for innovation in theatre and dance. The festival’s move into new venues and backing for local creators reflect wider trends in Spain’s cultural policy, which places growing value on international exchange and regional identity.
