Festival Grec de Barcelona facts for kids
The Grec Festival of Barcelona (Catalan: Festival Grec de Barcelona) is a super exciting international festival. It brings together amazing shows of theatre, dance, music, and circus arts. This festival has a long history in Barcelona and is a big part of the city's summer fun. By 2017, it had already celebrated its 41st year! The Grec Festival is not just a popular event in Barcelona; it's also known as one of the most important performing arts festivals in Europe.
The festival gets its name from its main stage: an outdoor theatre called the Teatre Grec. This special theatre is built on Mount Montjuïc. It was created in 1929 by a Catalan architect named Ramon Reventós. He designed it to look like the ancient Greek theatres. It was part of a big event called the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition. For a while, around 1976, the theatre was not used much. But the first Grec Festival helped bring it back to life and was a huge success! At first, the Teatre Grec was the only place where shows happened. Today, the festival uses many different venues all over Barcelona.
The festival has two main goals. First, it wants to show off the best works by artists and groups from Catalonia. Second, it aims to present other interesting shows from Spain and around the world. Many famous artists have performed at the festival. These include Dario Fo, Lindsay Kemp, the Martha Graham Dance Company, Ballet BC, Sydney Dance Company, Jan Fabre, Peter Brook, Sasha Waltz, Michel Piccoli, Robert Lepage, the Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan, Paco de Lucía, Cristina Hoyos, Carles Santos, Nacho Duato, Àlex Rigola, Calixto Bieito, Miles Davis, Manhattan Transfer, Joe Cocker, Celia Cruz, Chuck Berry, and Elvis Costello.
History of the Grec Festival
In the years before Spain became a democracy again, Barcelona's theatre scene was changing. New and exciting groups of actors and directors wanted to try different kinds of performances. In 1976, a group called the Assemblea d'Actors i Directors (Assembly of Actors and Directors) decided to organize summer shows. They chose the Teatre Grec, which had been mostly empty, as their stage.
That first Grec Festival was organized by the artists themselves. It was a big hit with the public! The Assembly ran the festival for two years. In 1978, there was no festival. But after the first democratic elections in 1979, the Barcelona City Council took over.
The festival slowly grew bigger. From 1980 onwards, it started inviting international shows. This, along with supporting local artists, became a key part of the festival.
Over the years, the Grec Festival has spread to many different places in Barcelona. It has also helped support smaller, independent theatre groups. The festival tries to have a balanced program that everyone can enjoy. It also works closely with private companies.
In recent years, the festival has focused on new and upcoming talent. It also explores experimental works. The festival has added more contemporary dance and circus acts, alongside traditional theatre and music. Each year, the festival often highlights artists from a specific country.
Artistic Directors of the Festival
The artistic director is like the main planner for the festival. They decide which shows and artists will be part of the program.
- 1976–1977: Assemblea d'Actors i Directors
- 1978: Festival not held
- 1979: Rafael Pradas & Joan-Anton Benach (Barcelona City Council)
- 1980–1983: Biel Moll
- 1984–1985: Joan Maria Gual & Josep Anton Codina
- 1986–1987: Marta Tatjer
- 1988–1995: Elena Posa
- 1996–1999: Xavier Albertí
- 2000–2006: Borja Sitjà
- 2007–2011: Ricardo Szwarcer
- 2012–2016: Ramon Simó i Vinyes
- 2017–2024: Francesc Casadesús i Calvó
- 2024–present: Leticia Martín Ruiz
See also
In Spanish: Festival Griego para niños
- [1]Culture of Barcelona
- [2]List of contemporary amphitheaters
