Teatro del Barrio

In 2013, Teatro del Barrio opened its doors as another link in the chain of indignation of the 15M Movement, which was described by The Guardian as ‘the most relevant political event since the death of Franco’. The troupe is headquartered in the traditional and multicultural Lavapiés neighbourhood, the backdrop of protests against unbridled real-estate speculation and tourism. The troupe is guided by its twofold mission of speaking for the working class and providing a critical point of view of socio-economic structures. Its brand of theatre might be described as cheeky, as it wields culture as a transformational tool that it uses to analyse the present and to imagine other realities. Initially drawing inspiration from the subjects of memory and anti-elitism, the troupe pioneered the use of awareness of new subject matters, such as the irreversible feminist wave, free love and anti-colonialism. Teatro del Barrio also strongly identifies with the festivities and celebrations of life in its neighbourhood. It hosts exhibitions and promotes in-house productions that include ‘Masacre, El Rey’ (also made into a film), the trilogy ‘Mujeres que se atreven’ (including Max award winner Emilia), ‘Los que hablan’, ‘Cómo hemos llegado hasta aquí’ and ‘Infiltrado en VOX’... Its focus on repertoire puts it at odds with an industry obsessed with novelty. The troupe experiments with onstage formats based on documents from court proceedings and journalism. It drives creative processes with artist residencies, workshops and a group for amateur theatre enthusiasts. With its initiatives ‘Universidad del Barrio’ and ‘Re@cción vecinal’, Teatro del Barrio gives underrepresented voices opportunities to speak. It is actively involved in activities with spectators, associations and NGOs. The troupe was cited in the ‘Best of Culture’ report of the 2022 Observatorio de la Cultura assessment of cultural events. Its most recent production to date is La Gran Cacería.