Barcelona is the focus of a new exhibition on the city’s theatre architecture, with Barcelona: City and Theatre now open at El Born. Museu d’Història de Barcelona until 30 August.
Organised by Antoni Ramon Graells, Ivan Alcázar Serrat and Joan Álvarez García-Luján, the exhibition is part of the World Capital of Architecture programme. It looks at how performing arts have shaped Barcelona’s urban growth and change over time.
The opening on 28 May at 6.30pm was attended by Barcelona City Council’s Chief Architect, Maria Buhigas, and the Director of the Barcelona History Museum, Carles Garcia Hermosilla, among others. For readers following local culture coverage, see our news page.
The display follows theatres across the city, from La Rambla to Passeig de Gràcia, and on to Paral·lel and nearby towns. It also examines the links, and breaks, between theatre and the city, presenting theatres as places where citizens meet.
Each section uses a gradual focus, moving from the urban role of theatres to the architecture of the venues and then to the stage space itself. The exhibition also compares large venues with alternative spaces, from 17th and 18th century sala i alcova theatres to smaller contemporary venues.
It includes examples of athenaeum theatres, such as Teatre Lliure at Cooperativa La Lleialtat in Gràcia and Sala Beckett at Pau i Justícia in Poblenou. The display also covers found spaces, including the Llotja de Mar and churches used in the mid-19th century during the Mendizábal disentailment, as well as La Perla 29 in the former Hospital de la Santa Creu.
Maps, plans, drawings, paintings, photographs, models, miniature theatres, posters, costume designs and clothing are on show, alongside an audiovisual presentation on Barcelona’s lost theatres. The project draws on the collection of the Museum of Performing Arts (MAE) of the Institut del Teatre de la Diputació de Barcelona, with material from the Historical Archive of the City of Barcelona, the Contemporary Municipal Archive and the Photographic Archive.
