PROGRAMME OF THE 48^th BADAJOZ INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL 2025

Festival passes, priced at €85 (13 performances), will go on sale from 24 to 30 September.

From that date onwards, both passes and individual tickets for each performance will be available for purchase. Tickets for each show cost €15, except for the performance of San Francisco on 11 October by Crassh_DuoCircus, which is free, and Mr. Bo, which costs €6 for children aged 6 and over. Tickets can be purchased at the theatre box office or online at www.teatrolopezdeayala.es.

The Badajoz International Theatre Festival is celebrating its 48th edition, consolidating its position as an essential event in the cultural calendar of the south-west of the peninsula. For fifteen days, the López de Ayala Theatre and other venues in the city will host a diverse programme covering contemporary theatre, dance, family and children's theatre, as well as parallel activities aimed at audiences of all ages and profiles. There will be 14 performances from 11 to 25 October 2025

With a clear commitment to openness, the festival focuses on artistic quality, theatrical innovation and a commitment to emerging creativity, without neglecting established works that engage with the present from the stage.

The López de Ayala Theatre will be the epicentre of this edition, which includes premieres, literary adaptations, revisions of classics and hybrid pieces that dialogue with the present. Among the participating companies are Marie de Jongh, Aracaladanza, the premiere of the Extremaduran company Karlik Danza-Teatro, Teatro de La Abadía and La Joven, among others.

The festival also caters to young audiences with a specific programme that includes plays such as Lagunas y niebla, Medida por medida, Las Mortero, Cowboy Anatomía +, and The room where it happens. In addition, there will be parallel activities such as children's workshops, master classes, and discussion and dramatised reading sessions organised by UAPEX.

All performances are eligible for the Audience Award, which recognises the play most appreciated by the audience.

The programme begins on Saturday 11 October at the Paseo de San Francisco with a children's show by the Portuguese company Crassh. A street show full of rhythm, humour and acrobatics that invites the youngest audience members to participate in Crassh – DuoCircus. We will continue on the same day, but in the main hall of the López de Ayala, at 9 p.m. with La Gramática. A humorous satire, written and directed by Ernesto Caballero, which reflects on language as a tool of power, identity and resistance, exposing our relationship with the vast legacy that constitutes language, starring María Adánez.

Another proposal for the whole family comes from the Marie de Jongh Company on Sunday 12 October with Mr. Bo. A mask play, without words, which addresses loneliness and tenderness from a visual poetics accessible to all audiences.

Lagunas y niebla (Gaps and Fog) by the La Joven Company on 14 October is a theatrical exploration that addresses the current lack of knowledge among young Spaniards about the Civil War, raising the issue of how recent history is full of ‘gaps’ in information and ‘fog’ of confusion that make it difficult to understand.

We move on to a contemporary reinterpretation of Shakespeare's classic, with a critical look at power, justice and morality on Wednesday 15 October with Medida por medida (La culpa es tuya) by the Argentine company Buendía Theatre.

Dance has several dates in this edition, on this occasion the first proposal comes from Aracaladanza

on 16 October in Va de Bach. A luminous and dreamlike choreography inspired by Bach's music, which delves into a creative universe that allows anyone who wants to open their eyes and tune their ears to imagine.

This edition features the premiere of Lucía Joyce's dance-theatre work by the Extremaduran company Karlik Danza-Teatro. An evocative piece that pays tribute through dance and words to Lucía Joyce, daughter of the famous writer James Joyce.

Teatro de la Abadía's play Caperucita en Manhattan (Little Red Riding Hood in Manhattan) was one of the most acclaimed performances by the public last season. A stage adaptation of Carmen Martín Gaite's novel, it revisits the classic tale from an urban and contemporary perspective on Saturday 18 October with the participation of Extremaduran actress Carolina Yuste.

The Extremaduran scene has another date at this festival on 20 October with Cowboy Anatomía + by the students of the ESAD (Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático). An experimental proposal that explores the construction of masculinity and the body as a theatrical territory through texts by Arrabal.

Las Mortero is a provocative play that questions gender roles and symbolic violence.

It presents us with a hilarious, naive and provocative comedy, a fight against machismo and prejudice, on Tuesday 21 October.

Perigallo Teatro, winner of the Audience Award at the 45th edition of the Badajoz Theatre Festival in 2022, returns to the Badajoz stage on 22 October with Por voluntad propia. An intimate story about motherhood, desire and individual freedom, narrated from an emotional perspective.

A hybrid piece that fuses movement and words to explore power and decision-making is the proposal of The room where it happens on Thursday 23 October. Nominated for two Max Awards for best female performer and best male dance performer.

An exploration of couples, memory and communication through the narration of a shared story that changes every time it is told. This is the theme of Barbados in 2022, which will be performed on Friday 24 October, with text and direction by Pablo Remón and magnificent performances by Emilio Tomé and Argentine actress Fernanda Orazi.

And the closing of the festival, on Saturday 25 October, is a visual fantasy that explores the connection between human beings and water in Bajau. A visual and sensory journey inspired by the nomadic peoples of the sea, with an enveloping and poetic aesthetic.

As in every edition, the festival programme is expanded with parallel activities that enrich the cultural offering beyond the theatrical performances. These include children's workshops, designed to bring theatre to the youngest members of the audience, taught by Jokin Oregi, director of the play Mr. Bo; masterclasses in clowning, which will allow theatre professionals to learn first-hand about the work of Gabriel Chamé, a specialist in this art and director of the play Measure for Measure; and the UAPEX conferences, conceived as a space for reflection and encounter around theatre and stage creation. In this way, the festival not only offers shows, but also promotes training, participation and dialogue with the community.

On Monday 13 October from 12:00 to 13:00, a children's workshop

led by Jokin Oregi, director of the play Mr. Bo, will be held on the stage of the López de Ayala Theatre

for children aged 6 to 10.

On Wednesday, 15 October, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Master class on clowning entitled The Tragic Pleasure of the Clown, led by Gabriel Chamé Buendía, director of Measure for Measure, aimed at professionals in the theatre sector.

Finally, on Sunday, 19 October, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., organised by UAPEX (Union of Professional Actors and Actresses of Extremadura), there will be a series of debates and dramatised readings in the theatre café.

The Badajoz International Theatre Festival once again invites season ticket holders to participate in the voting for the Audience Award at the 48th Badajoz International Festival, an award that recognises the play most appreciated by the audience. All the performances in the programme will be eligible for this award, which seeks to strengthen the link between the public and the festival, encouraging participation and cultural dialogue around the performing arts.

 

PROGRAMME 48TH BADAJOZ INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL 2025

Saturday, 11 October, 6:00 p.m. Paseo de San Francisco Children's show

Crassh_DuoCircus
Original idea: Bruno Estima 

Artistic direction: David Valente and Bruno Estima Musicians: David Calhau and David Valente Company: Crassh (Portugal)
Duration: 45 minutes 

Audience: families 

CRASSH_DuoCircus is a show in which two characters transport the audience, in an intimate and welcoming way, to the Crassh universe, where the most common objects of our daily lives are used to produce music, from simple melodies to complex and virtuoso rhythms. Combined with a strong comic and visual component, interaction with the audience and circus disciplines — where juggling is also used to create live music — this is a show that mixes rigour with chaos, thrills with fun taken to the highest level. 

Saturday 11 October, 9 p.m. 

La Gramática 

Playwright and director: Ernesto Caballero Cast: María Adánez and Joaquín Notario Company: Focus (Barcelona)
Duration: 85 minutes 

One fine day, quite by accident, a conventional woman becomes an accomplished scholar of language and grammar overnight. A renowned neuroscientist subjects her to an intensive 

process of linguistic deprogramming. In this case, the aim is not to refine the character verbally, but rather to return her to her primary state of expressive limitation in order to spare her the social maladjustment caused by her inappropriate accident. 

This is the starting point for this Grammar, a humorous satire that exposes our relationship with the vast legacy that, according to Lázaro Carreter, constitutes our most solid common heritage: language. 

Sunday 12 October, 7 p.m. 

Mr. Bo 

Marie de Jongh Company Author and director: Jokin Oregi 

Cast: Ana Martínez, Ana Meabe, Javier Renobales and Andurina Zurutuza
Company: Marie de Jongh Teatroa (Basque Country)
Duration: 50 minutes 

Audience: Children ages 6 and up
A mask play combined with clowning. A show for the whole family, 

narrated without words. A gentleman and his three servants reveal the miseries of despotic power. Always with humour. Because that is the key and the challenge of this project: that comedy is the root, trunk, branch and flower; if it is to bear fruit that we can all enjoy. An artistic work characterised by reflecting reality with deliberate naivety, seemingly childlike, and with poetry and simplicity. 

Tuesday 14 October, 9 p.m. 

Lagunas y niebla 

By Paco Gámez
Directed by: José Luis Arellano
Cast: Yolanda Dieye, Paula Feror, Elisa Hipólito, María Ramos, Fernando Sainz de la Maza and Raúl Martín 

Company: La Joven Company A production by Fundación Teatro Joven with the support of Fundación EVZ 

Duration: 90 minutes Audience: Ages 14 and up 

A recent study shows that young Spaniards are unaware of their recent history. The play explores how history is full of "gaps" in information and "fog" of confusion that make it difficult to understand. They confuse characters, reasons, places and dates linked to the Spanish Civil War. Everything is confusing, a yellowed map of the peninsula full of gaps and fog, where the boundaries between the present and the past, reality and fiction, and politics are blurred. It explores the mechanisms of memory and forgetting through a theatrical investigation that mixes the intimate and the social. With fragmented and poetic writing, it raises questions about what we remember, what we hide and what history silences. A scenic journey into the blurred areas of truth and collective identity. 

Wednesday 15 October, 9 p.m. 

Measure for Measure (It's your fault)

By William Shakespeare

Adaptation, translation and direction: Gabriel Chamé Buendía Cast: Matías Bassi, Elvira Gómez, Nicolás Gentile, Agustín Soler, Marilyn Petito

Company: Buendía Theatre (Argentina)
Duration: 105 minutes
Audience: Ages 14 and up
Measure for Measure, based on Shakespeare's play, is a careful dramatic exploration of the moral nature of man in relation to human justice and vice, inviting reflection on law, corruption, religion and ethics. The play oscillates between ethics, sexuality and power, contrasting conscience and instinct. In this sense, women occupy a central place with a very topical theme: the abuse of power in politics and sexuality. 

A provocative adaptation of Shakespeare's classic play, combining physical theatre, humour and social criticism. In a world where morality is imposed with an iron fist, this version questions power, 

justice and guilt with frenetic rhythm, multiple characters and a great deal of irony. 

Thursday 16 October 9:00 p.m. Dance 

Va de Bach 

A show for five dancers and a gorilla Concept and direction: Enrique Cabrera 

Performers: Carolina Arija, Lydia Martínez, Jimena Trueba, Aleix Rodríguez and Jonatan de Luis 

Company: Aracaladanza (Madrid) in co-production with the Teatro de Retiro and the Community of Madrid
Duration: 55 minutes
Audience: Recommended for ages 5 and up 

Aracaladanza approaches Bach as the inspiration for a stage work that seeks not so much to choreograph his music (in its many facets, variations and versions) as to delve into a creative universe that allows anyone who wants to open their eyes and tune their ears to imagine. Because imagination is the sustenance of critical thinking and the driving force of freedom, both essential for changing reality. 

It is more than creative beauty. More than technical perfection. More than intellectual depth. More than the foundation of music. Bach is spiritual purity and absolute imagination. He is intense emotion. And for all that, he is Revolution. 

Friday 17 October, 9 p.m. 

Lucía Joyce 

Written by Itziar Pascual
Direction and dramaturgy: Cristina D. Silveira
Performers: Memé Tabares, Jorge Barrantes and Carla González Pérez

Audiovisual creation: Cómicos Crónicos
Musical composition: Álvaro Rodríguez Barroso
Choreography: Cristina D. Silveira and Carla González
Lighting: David Pérez Hernando

Set design and costumes: La Nave del Duende
Assistant director: Iván Luis
Assistant choreographer: Francisco García
Photography: Jorge Armestar

Graphic design: Marta Barroso
Production manager: David Pérez

Company: Karlik Dance-Theatre
Duration: 70 minutes 

The life of Lucia Joyce, daughter of James Joyce, is a fictionalised secret. She was a fragile and passionate woman who devoted herself to dance, collaborated with Léger and Man Ray's Ballet Mécanique, and lived through a turbulent period: the creative and intellectual brilliance of the interwar avant-garde, the emergence of new languages of movement (with Duncan, Dalcroze, Laban and Morris), the disaster of World War II and the fierce legacy of a family, the Joyces, marked by exile, economic instability, talent, psychological suffering and emotional turmoil. 

Saturday 18 October, 9 p.m. 

Little Red Riding Hood in Manhattan 

Based on the novel by Carmen Martín Gaite Adaptation and direction: Lucía Miranda 

Cast: Mamen García, Miriam Montilla, Carmen Navarro, Carolina Yuste and Marcel Mihok (double bass) 

Company: Teatro de La Abadía (Madrid)
Duration: 100 minutes
On the centenary of the birth of Carmen Martín Gaite, one of the most important novelists of the 20th century, Teatro de La Abadía stages one of her novels that connects with an entire generation.
It is a story about the children we once were and the grandparents we will become. Sara Allen is a New York girl who dreams of living adventures far from the routine and rules that surround her. Inspired by Perrault'sclassictale,thestorytransports LittleRedRidingHoodto the heart of Manhattan, where she will discover freedom, imagination
a n d the power to make her own decisions. A contemporary fable about growing up, searching for identity and daring to cross bridges into the unknown. 

Monday 20 October, 9 p.m. 

Cowboy Anatomy + 

Playwright and director: Lobo Ybañez
Based on text and elements from La primera comunión; Ceremonia paánica by Fernando Arrabal
Performers: Pedro Cruz, Jaime Santos, Alberto Madruga, Washington Nyaguthii, Ana Crespo, Patri Lozano, Elena Ambel, Inés Tiestos, Alicia Crespo, Pablo Santos, Elena Cárdenas, Joserra, Jay C. Duke, Kike and Lucía Reyes
Company: ESAD (Extremadura School of Dramatic Arts)
Duration: 90 minutes 

An experimental proposal that explores the construction of masculinity and the body as a theatrical territory through texts by Arrabal. 

This project stems from a dramaturgy of La primera comunión; ceremonia pánica (First Communion; Panic Ceremony) by Fernando Arrabal, with the intention of using it as stage material to create a contemporary production. 

Respecting its nature as a panic ceremony, as well as other elements from the ephemera of Jodorowsky and company, the happening and the Autos Sacramentales, the staging has been approached from a new perspective on these items, and reconverted from a contemporary intention and prism. 

It introduces texts and elements from La primera comunión; ceremonia pánica by Fernando Arrabal, as well as fragments from the Holy Bible, NieR: Automata by Yoko Taro, the poems Voy a dormir by Alfonsina Storni and La mujer de Lot by Wisława Szymborska, translated by Jerzy Sławomirski and Ana María Moix, and the songs Alfonsina y el mar by Ariel Ramírez and Félix Luna, all-american, bitch by Olivia Rodrigo, and Otherworld (Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack) by Nobuo Uematsu, Alexander O. Smith and Bill Muir. 

Tuesday, 21 October, 9:00 p.m. 

Las Mortero 

Playwright and director: Nieves Pedraza
Cast: Auxi Jiménez, Eli Zapata, Nuria Vicent and Nieves Pedraza 

Company: Estigma (Madrid) Duration: 75 minutes Audience: Ages 12 and up 

Three women, three friends, share a handful of experiences that shape the way they are and exist in the world they live in. With humour, le darán un nuevo significado al feminismo. Las Mortero cannot enter the party because they are "fat, old and ugly". From here, Nieves Pedraza's direct and uncompromising text presents us with a hilarious comedy that is both naive and provocative, a fight against machismo and judgement. A comedy where we embrace what we have been told we cannot be, where we take ownership of our weaknesses, singing so as not to give up, dancing at last in the centre of the circle. 

Wednesday 22 October, 9 p.m. 

Por voluntad propia 

By Javier Manzanera and Celia
Nadal Directed by: Luis Felpeto
Cast: Celia Nadal and Javier Manzanera Company: Perigallo Teatro (Castile and León) Duration: 80 minutes 

In a kind of limbo, two characters, aware of their condition, struggle between love and fear to stop being "what is written" and become people of their own free will. A comedy that proposes looking beyond appearances, delving into our essence and discovering ourselves in others. 

Two characters aware that they are not people and who resist like cats on their backs, unable to exercise their will. They seek to free themselves from the yoke of the authors, and in that quest they will find that it is the authors who need them. They have been written into this situation to try to find a way, an inspiration that can be transferred to their real world. They seek a clue to regain control of their lives. 

INDIFEST-SANTANDER AUDIENCE AWARD INDIFEST 2024, BEST SHOW, BEST ACTOR AND BEST ACTRESS

Thursday 23 October 9pm. Theatre-Dance 

The room where it happens 

Direction and choreography: Iker Karrera
Dramaturgy: Verónica Ronda and David Serrano
Performers: Katalin Arana, Marc López, Raymond Naval, Serena Pomer and Teresa Arroyo
Original music: Alex Aller / Saxophone: Jose Venditti.
Accordion: Alex Larraga. 

Voice: Raymond Naval 

Company: Iker Karrera (Madrid) Duration: 55 minutes
Audience: ages 14 and up 

NOTES: This show contains strobe lights

The horror vacui of the 21st century speaks of the fear of emptiness, of emptying our time of content. Being busy is the perfect remedy for not thinking. Repeating a long routine of distractions that fill the soul in order to avoid being alone with oneself. 

The Room Where It Happens invites us to reflect on power, decision- making and what happens in those hidden spaces where collective destinies are defined. Through contemporary dance, Iker Karrera constructs an intense and expressive physical language that reveals tensions, silences and invisible pacts. A piece that combines movement, emotion and social criticism, turning the stage into a territory where intimacy becomes public.

Winner of the 2025 Godot Award for "Best Contemporary Dance Choreography".
The show is nominated for five Max 2025 awards: Best Dance Show (Iker Karrera); Best Musical Composition (Alex Aller); Best Choreography (Iker Karrera); Best Lighting Design (Rodrigo Ortega) and Best Female Dance Performer (Katalin Arana).

Friday 24 October, 9 p.m. 

Barbados in 2022 

Written and directed by Pablo Remón Performers: Fernanda Orazi and Emilio Tomé 

Company: Teatro Kamikaze in co-production with the Condeduque Cultural Centre (Madrid)
Duration: 70 minutes 

Two actors narrate the story of a couple. Sometimes they agree: they do so with humour, with strangeness, with joy. They play. Other times, they contradict each other, invent, obscure, lie. Sometimes they are the couple; other times, they are not. They are, in turn, another couple. With their share of conflict, their share of adventure, their share of love. Barbados is a play in which Pablo Remón explores, with his characteristic humour and critical eye, personal relationships and the tensions of the present. Through a theatrical game that mixes the intimate and the social, the play raises questions about memory, bonds and the way we construct our stories. 

Saturday 25 October, 9 p.m. 

Bajau 

Original idea, stage design and direction: Sergi Ots Creation: Sergi Ots and Mariona Moya
Performers: Natàlia Méndez and Neus Masó
Music: Joel Condal, Marcel Fabregat (Eslástica) 

Company: Ponten pie & Sergi Ots (Barcelona) Duration: 35 minutes
Audience: Family 

Bajau is a sensory and poetic stage experience that immerses us —literally— into an aquatic universe. Inspired by the Southeast Asian tribe that lives underwater, the play poses an essential question: if human beings are gestated in liquid, why not live in water?
Two brothers star in this wordless story, where water becomes another character. Through physical theatre, puppetry of 

objects and a surprising set design, Bajau explores the desire for transformation, the origin of life and the 

connection with our natural environment.
The play invites the audience to imagine a world where play, fantasy and adaptation allow us to be what we dream of: fish, water, freedom. Finalist in the 2023 Max Awards for Best Children's, Youth or Family Show and Best Costume Design. 

PARALLEL ACTIVITIES 

Monday 13 October 

Workshop for children Led by Jokin Oregi 

The Marie de Jongh company offers an intergenerational experience, using play as a methodology, with the aim of introducing participants to physical theatre. The workshop focuses mainly on introducing the participants, children and their companions, to the technique of physical theatre. 

The first part consists of short, fun warm-up exercises in groups. The aim is for each participant to become aware of the different parts of their body and, in turn, to generate group awareness, in order to facilitate subsequent work with others. 

In the second part, the capacity for observation, concentration and listening is explored in order to practise the skills necessary for acting or dramatisation.
In the last part, specific exercises in mime technique are carried out, as well as puppet manipulation and the use of masks. 

Location: Stage of the López de Ayala Theatre
Time: 12:00 to 13:00
Age: 6 to 10 years old
Registration: From 6 to 10 October at 2:00 p.m. Maximum: 25 children 

Wednesday 15 October 11:00 to 14:00
Master class on clowning by Gabriel Chamé Buendía, director of Measure for Measure
The tragic pleasure of the clown
The search for the lost clown
The intensive clown course aims to help participants overcome their fear of ridicule and discover their inner clown. The clown is that part of each of us (our own ridiculousness) that makes others laugh and feel moved. 

Making an audience laugh, eagerly awaiting their reaction, and realising that no one is laughing. A good experience for our dignity, a real and uncomfortable feeling. Ignoring it, hiding it, will not help, it is obvious, and it is one of the first experiences for those who want to make people laugh. The clown, without knowing, without understanding, believes in everything and tries to do everything right, in such an extremely positive way that he is left out of society. An anti-hero who rediscovers innocence, simplicity, and a mature awareness of childhood. 

The clown course allows you to rediscover this essence and, above all, to have fun. 

have fun.
Registration: From 6 to 10 October at 2 p.m.festivalteatro@teatrolopezdeayala.es (For professionals) Maximum: 20 people 

Sunday 19 October 10:00 to 14:00 

II UAPEX Conference on Debate and Dramatised Reading 

Why we do theatre 

Human beings need fiction to reaffirm themselves. There are countless reasons for this. Some seek to experience new sensations and challenges; others may seek a space for self-knowledge. Telling stories (or experiencing them from our point of view) leads us to explore other perspectives, challenging our internal judgement. 

To break free from chains, to laugh at ourselves, to understand what lies within, light and shadow, material that can be converted into tools. Participants:
Jana Pacheco: director and playwright

Ana Trinidad: actress and producer
Francisco Blanco: actor and producer
Alfonso López Fando: psychologist, psychotherapist, Gestalt Coach, psychotherapist trainer and writer

Dramatised reading of an excerpt from the winning play of the 2nd UAPEX competition: La nana de las zapatillas rojas (The Nanny with the Red Slippers) by Virginia Campón.
Organised by: Association of Professional Actors and Actresses of Extremadura 

Venue: Theatre Café
Registration: From 6 to 10 October at 2 p.m. festivalteatro@teatrolopezdeayala.es Maximum: 30 people 

PRICES 

GENERAL ADMISSION:€15 

DISCOUNT FOR YOUTH CARD HOLDERS, PENSIONERS, UNEMPLOYED, FATEX AND UAPEX MEMBERS:€10 

GENERAL SEASON TICKET:Single price: €85 (13 performances)
Includes an exclusive catalogue for season ticket holders and the right to vote for the audience award. 

Non-season ticket holders 

Saturday 11 October, 6pm Paseo de San Francisco Children's show Crassh_DuoCircus 

Sunday, 12 October, 7:00 p.m. 

Mr. Bo 

Special price for children aged 6 to 12: €6 

Ticket and season ticket sales 

Season tickets will be on sale from 24 to 30 September Starting on 1 October, both season tickets and individual tickets will be sold 

www.teatrolopezdeayala.es 

López de Ayala Theatre box office 

From 12:00 to 14:00 

From 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. 

DOORS OPEN: 

HALF AN HOUR BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE 

Audience Award 

The Badajoz International Theatre Festival once again invites season ticket holders to vote for the Audience Award at the 48th Badajoz International Festival, which recognises the play most highly rated by spectators. All scheduled performances will be eligible for this award, which seeks to strengthen the bond between the public and the festival, encouraging participation and cultural dialogue around the performing arts. 

The work that receives the most votes during this process will win the Audience Award at the 48th Badajoz International Theatre Festival. 

Season ticket holders who wish to do so may cast their vote on the last day of the Festival. A season ticket for two people for the next edition of the Festival will be raffled off among all participants.