The theater season registers 21% more viewers and 38% more revenue

The Association of Theater Companies of Catalonia (Adetca) and the Association of Professional Actors and Directors of Catalonia (AADPC) have celebrated World Theater Day today not only with the reading of the manifest which this year has been drafted by the Egyptian actress Samiha Ayoubbut celebrating the return of the public to the theaters. This recovery has become effective with an increase in audiences in the Barcelona theaters ofl 21% compared to last yearand the return of advance ticket sales.

Isabel Vidal, president of Adetca, has celebrated the data for the first seven months of the season. During the institutional act that took place this Monday at Sala Beckett, Vidal explained that since the start of the season in September close to two million people -1,864,681 spectators- have attended the theaters, a 21% more than the previous season. The half of occupation reach the 60.4% (some 4.8 points above the previous one)with a collection of 60,471,000 euros, 38% more than last year at this time. The figures are especially significant because the attendance so far in the 2022-23 season is 9% higher than the last pre-pandemic season. “It’s a very good season. For now we are 5% below the 11-12 season in which we reached almost 3 million viewers,” said Vidal.

“For a long time the uncertainties derived from the pandemic have vanished” Vidal declared. “Today we are celebrating that the nightmare is over and recovery is a reality.” He has also highlighted that at this time, the sector has “a better financed system”. The increase of Culture budget of the Generalitat no way way to reach 2% is a factor to take into account. As the actor recalled ivan benet on the spot in his speech on behalf of his fellow professionals: “Begging is shameful and 2% is a minimum because for the theater system to be mature we need more money and more exhibition spaces.” In front of him, in the first row, were the Minister of Culture, Natàlia Garriga, and representatives of the main Catalan political institutions.

But, despite the good figures, the president of Adetca has indicated that there are several pending issues in which we must continue advancing: the recovery of the tours and the circuits touched since the economic crisis of 2012; the effective implementation of the cultural exception in the fiscal, labor and administrative fields; the development of labor agreements for the sector and the defense of the partners of the theater entities.

“The strength of the union of a vertebrate sectornow more prepared to face major challenges, and the Solidarity to try not to leave anyone behind have been keys” Vidal has verified.

artist statute

For his part, Àlex Casanovas, President of the ADDPC (Associació d’Actors i Directors Profesionals de Catalunya), has presented the advances in the Artist’s statute. Casanovas explained that after many years of work this 2023 the special unemployment benefit for artists and technicians and the retirement compatibility with income that come from artistic activity.

He applauded the fact that for the first time the specificity of the creators and workers of culture has been legislatedly recognized. But there are issues to settle how are they to make a Professional Transition Lawfor him recognition of specific occupational diseases in the sector and to get fiscal improvements.

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This Monday night the sector will bid farewell to World Theater Day with a festive celebration in La Paloma encouraged by Guillem Albà and La Marabunta in which professionals from the sector and the public will commemorate the event by dancing. The producer Toni Albaladejo, vice president of Adetca encouraged them to participate in it by scoring a fun rumba number, with choreography and maracas. He surprised everyone but not as much as the last song of the act that got the audience on their feet with a true tribute to the theater that linked titles of plays and artists on the bill this season. he played her Jordi Vidal, a crackaccompanied on the keyboard by Jordi Cornudellaauthors of the applauded ‘Guillermotta’currently on tour in Catalonia.

As a general rule, with good weather attendance at theaters decreases. For Vidal, the fundamental thing so that it does not happen is to keep the bar high. “The best strategy is a great billboard,” he has sentenced. For his part, Àlex Casanovas recalled that “there is also outdoor theater and it is increasingly present at festivals”. Having a strong network in Catalonia, he recalled, will help to recover the level of hiring that fell after the 2012 crisis.