Estreno absoluto de «El teatro del mundo» por Calderón del Barça en la FIA de Madrid.
The community cultural agenda in Madrid will be highlighted this weekend by the absolute premiere of El teatro del mundo. Calderón del bote sacramental, a production by Excavación, International Sacred Art Festival in the community of Madrid, for the enjoyment of Spanish audiences. This version, directed by Antonio Castillo Algarra and adapted in collaboration with Ignacio Rodfo Hazen, offers a sample of religious music from the 16th and 17th centuries in Spain and Italy, including Gregorian chant. There will be three opportunities to enjoy it: at the Royal Coliseum III in San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Thursday 3 and Friday 4) and at the Church of San Manuel González in San Sebastián de Los Reyes (Saturday 5).
The program includes scores by Renaissance masters such as Juan del Encina and Francisco Guerrero, as well as Roman Baroque music by Gregorio Allegri. The entire theatrical play of solo For the Happy Sacrament and Christmas carols, until it reaches one of the first examples of religious work, composed by the Bolivian missions of the 18th century. Not forgetting the Corpus Christi dances, one of the oldest and most original manifestations of the religious festival in the Hispanic world. In this way, it aims to surprise the cultural spirit of Spanish Baroque, with its religious, liturgical, and musical significance.
Continuing with the Excavación programming, Pepe Viyule and Sara will present the performance Los milagros de nuestra dama, a theatrical and musical performance based on the poetry of Gonzalo de Berceo, with music by Francisco Guerrero, Vermell libre de Montserrat, and Quantigas de Santa María (Friday 4, at the small theater of San Sebastián de Los Reyes).
The Canal Theaters (in their green room) will host three premieres in Spain, included in the festival’s program. On one hand, Bab L’Blâlul, with Swaker (Thursday 3), will take the audience to ancestral and futuristic music, rooted in psychedelic blues, funk, rocky rhythms, and Maghreb trance. The next day, from Canada, The Big Brave Band will present their latest album Haos of Flowers (Friday 4).
The third event includes two different concerts in the same ticket, by Massimo Silverio and María Mazzotta (Saturday 5). The former will present his debut album, Huda, which brings the Excavación label to a minority language from the northern Italian Alps called Carnic, in which he writes and sings. Next, the other Italian performer who claims the rural tradition of his country, performs Dónde, the title of his latest work, where he chose to express the vital and sincere strength of this tradition through contemporary instruments and with a suburban flavor.
Theater and dance at the Canal Theaters
In addition to Fias, the Canal Theaters complete their advertising lineup with theater and dance. They will premiere the musical work for Hitler, a drama based on real events during World War II in Nazi-occupied France, when musician Pau Casals, exiled from January 1939 in the country of Galică, received an invitation to perform for the German dictator. This specific moment in the biography of the famous cellist is recreated in this theatrical work by Juan Carlos Rubio and Yolanda García Serrano, directed by Juan Carlos Rubio and featuring Carlos Hipólito, Kiti Mánver, Cristóbal Suáz, and Marta Velilla (Red Sala Concha Varcha, until April 20).
In the black room, you can enjoy the Spanish premiere of Desde el cuello hasta el amanecer (Saturday 5 and Sunday 6), an immersive performance created and performed solely by Sorour Darabi, a transdisciplinary artist and Iranian resident in France. Inspired by the contemporary work One Thousand and One Nights, created by Darabi for the 2024 Montpellier Dance Festival, this creation offers an intimate reflection on the power of stories as acts of resistance and transformation.
Meanwhile, Abbey Theatre remains on the bill (José Luis Alonso Sala, until April 13) with Viejos tiempos, by Nobel laureate Harold Pinter, under the direction of Beatriz Argüello and featuring a cast led by Ernesto Alteri and Marta Belenguer.
In San Lorenzo de El Escorial, you can see Los ochenta son nuestros (Sunday 6, at the Real Coliseo Carlos III). One of the most emblematic works by Ana Diosdado, a key figure in Spanish theater of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Launched in 1988, this piece creates a vibrant and honest portrait of youth, reflecting the tensions, tenderness, and ideological dilemmas that have marked an entire generation.
The Gladiators Arrive in Alcalá de Henares
The Madrid community continues with exhibition proposals, all free, in its various spaces. In the capital, the Alcalá Hall maintains the exhibition El segundo hernández en obras, the first institutional exhibition of the Madrid painter in his hometown, showcasing nearly 30 years of artistic career; and in the Young Art Hall Las iguanas morderán a los hombres que no sueñan, featuring works by five emerging artists that analyze the forces of nature and life cycles, curated by Raquel Algaba (both until April 20).
In Alcalá de Henares, the Archaeological and Paleontological Museum of the Community of Madrid (MARPA) presents the exhibition ¡Hispano! Gladiadores en el Imperio Romano (until September 28). The exhibition offers a comprehensive view of the historical phenomenon of gladiators with maximum archaeological rigor, covering their origins, their relationship with power, the development of gladiator games, and the social role of the participants.
The importance of the amphitheater building, the fighting scene, and the fundamental space in urban planning are also illustrated with a spectacular museography that includes a small format.
Directed by the directors of the National Museum of Roman Art in Mérida, Trinidad Nogales, and the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities of the National Archaeological Museum, Ángeles Castilianos, the exhibition features over 170 original archaeological pieces from various national and Italian collections.
In Móstoles, the Dos de Mayo Center of the Community of Madrid (CA2M) offers an exhibition dedicated to Mexican artist Jorge Sato: Estuario (until August 31). Accompanying this exhibition is Infinite Rope Game Under the Sun, a proposal by illustrator María Medem with an exhibition design that not only fills the walls of the center with some of her drawings but also the staircase or library with works done in different textiles.
Furthermore, throughout this year, the autonomous administration showcases photography, contemporary art, or graphic arts throughout the region through ten proposals from the Red Itiner exhibition network that travels through the 77 surrounding municipalities. Finally, it should be noted that you can visit Flamenco. Joana Basque at the Palacio de Liria (until July 31), organized by the Alba House Foundation with the sponsorship of the regional government.
Friday, April 4
Viejos tiempos
Beatriz Argüello
Until April 13 at 8:00 p.m. – José Luis Alonso Hall – Abbey Theater. MADRID
Programming Excavación, International Sacred Art Festival in the community of Madrid
Programming Teatralia, International High Performance Arts Festival for all audiences
Saturday, April 5
Música para Hitler
Juan Carlos Rubio – Yolanda García Serrano
Until April 20 at 8:00 p.m. – Red Concha Velasco Hall – Canal Theaters. MADRID
Desde el cuello hasta el amanecer
Solo
5 and 6 – 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – Black Room – Canal Theaters. MADRID
Programming Excavación, International Sacred Art Festival in the community of Madrid
Programming Teatralia, International High Performance Arts Festival for all audiences
Sunday, April 6
Los ochenta son nuestros
Luciano García Lorenzo – Ana Diosdado
12:30 p.m. – Real Coliseo Carlos III. San Lorenzo de El Escorial
Programming Excavación, International Sacred Art Festival in the community of Madrid
Programming Teatralia, International High Performance Arts Festival for all audiences
Museums and Exhibitions
Las iguanas morderán a los hombres que no sueñan
Until April 20, 2025 – Art Exhibition Hall. MADRID
El segundo hernández en obras
Until April 20, 2025 – Alcalá Exposition Hall 31. Madrid
Strange: Joana Vasconcelos
Until July 31, 2025 – Palacio de Liria. MADRID
Jorge Satorre. Estuario
Until August 31, 2025 – Dos de Mayo Art Museum CA2M. Móstoles
¡Hispano! Gladiadores en el Imperio Romano
Until September 28, 2025, Archaeological and Paleontological Museum of the Community of Madrid (MARPA). Alcalá de Henares
Red Itiner 2025 Program
