Higher attendance of ‘Teatro en la Escuela’ programmes and guided tours for centres, in addition to more shows offered
A total of 28,958 individuals participated in activities of the Educational and Social Affairs Area of the Auditorio de Tenerife during the 2024–25 season, which amounts to a 10% increase vs. the participation of the preceding season. Promoted by the Tenerife Island Council’s departments for culture and education, the programmes and initiatives focus on schoolchildren and social groups. The activities include shows for educational and social centres, classroom performances, mediation initiatives, sector-specific online events, online meetings with teaching staff, educational tours, learning resources and guided tours that focus on educational and technical matters.
The regional minister of Culture, José Carlos Acha, said, ‘The function of this department at the Auditorio is of paramount importance, as it not only draws new spectators to the Auditorio, but provides free access to real culture for all sectors of society, regardless of where they live’. Looking to the future, he added, ‘We intend to continue making progress in education and mediation with new activities and programmes for the 2025–26 season’.
The department divides its efforts between programmes and initiatives, the most important being the activities brochure available to educational and social centres featuring the shows held at the Auditorio. The 2024–25 season featured initiatives of the Sinfónica de Tenerife, the Miguel Jaubert Youth Philharmonic Orchestra of Tenerife and the family-friendly programme offered each year by Ópera de Tenerife.
On the other hand, the ‘Teatro en la Escuela’ (Theatre at School) programme consists of a public call for entries for theatre and dance companies and musical groups, which -after a selection process through a committee of experts- results in a catalogue. Thirteen companies were included in this year, offering their creative performances and activities to schools and social centres on the island. A total of 64 shows were performed and seven creative processes were provided in 27 municipalities of Tenerife, which drew 9,210 spectators.
In addition, the ‘Escuelas de Teatro’ programme, in which qualified teachers provide theatrical training in the island’s cultural centres, was undertaken in 10 municipalities in age-specific classes to a total of 177 students. Similarly, the ‘Teatro Aficionado’ (Amateur Theatre) programme scheduled over 20 performances involving 10 of the island’s social groups.
The educational guided visits took place for the third consecutive season. This cross-disciplinary educational activity consists of carrying out a process of training and informing the public during school hours. It is meant for all levels and aims to give rise to autonomous and critical students. It involves a guided visit to the building and a series of workshops for the different educational levels in a specific classroom for this audience, which reached 950 pupils. In addition, educational, technical guided visits were also given to 136 students to show them the building.
‘Prevenidos’ is another of the new initiatives. With the goal of facilitating access to music and performing arts, the programme drew 926 individuals to the island’s educational and social centres to enjoy quality cultural offerings while learning about the artistic and technical workings of the Auditorio’s shows through the use of the department’s resources.
In April, for a second consecutive year, the Auditorio de Tenerife hosted the annual conference of the Network of Organisers of Educational and Social Concerts (ROCE), in which the department actively participates. Approximately 50 professionals from Spain and abroad attended the event, which featured work sessions and educational shows under the motto ‘Tenemos un plan, ¿y ahora qué? La música como derecho cultural’ (We have a plan, now what? Music as a cultural right), featuring distinguished speakers from Spain and abroad. At the 16th annual conference, representatives of the European Network for Opera, Music and Dance Education (RESEO) took part in the scientific committee of the conference.
The Educational and Social Area of the Auditorio de Tenerife was created to bring arts and creative processes to all citizens, with a particular focus on school pupils and people at risk of social exclusion. One of the objectives is to nurture the relationship between artistic and cultural activities and how they are conveyed to society and to encourage space for building a relationship between art and people.
Its main idea is for art to make an unquestionable contribution to social well-being, the recognition of individual and collective identity, training, and critical thinking needed for mature democratic social coexistence. This department is linked to RESEO (the European Network for Opera, Dance and Music Education) and ROCE (the Spanish Network of Organisers of Educational Concerts), and is actively involved in the Island Council’s programme ‘Cabildo Educa’.