What's happening in FiraTàrrega?

From 8 to 11 September the 36th edition of FiraTàrrega will take place, marked by a very clear foundation: multiculturalism, one of the most representative values of street art, which makes the art capable of addressing very different people and contexts. The fair will present the work of 57 national and international companies, located in 26 exhibition spaces and a total of 263 sessions in four days.

This year the French company Artonik will be responsible for kicking things off on 8 September at 19.00 with the opening show The Colour of Time, an explosion of colour, joy and good wishes in a choreographed parade which will travel the streets of Tàrrega. An ephemeral ritual that combines movement, actors-dancers and live music, which invites the public to actively participate in this walking route, collectively celebrating friendship, interculturalism and interracial relations.

The whole programme provides a rich lineup of formats, genres and styles; an offer for all audiences and ages, with the participation of 30 Catalan companies, 10 companies from the rest of Spain and 17 international. A total of 60 proposals that will take place at 26 different exhibition spaces (47 performances in public spaces in the city of Tàrrega and 13 stagings in various halls). This year FiraTàrrega is involved in co-producing 15 shows, 25% of this year's programming.

The programme of the fair is divided into five sections: Official Section (selection of hits from the season and international premieres), Platform (performances from Program to Support the Creation and other coproduction projects), Ondara Park (projects focused on the most festive and family programming) Open Programme (space for collaboration between the private sector and FiraTàrrega) and Bonus Tracks (with various proposals to complement the programming).

In order to make it more accessible and to target the bulk of the programming, the show once again organizes Artistic Itineraries. A total of 10 itineraries with shows for all tastes will help the public navigate FiraTàrrega programming.

What's new at FiraTàrrega 2016

FiraTàrrega is a permanent dynamic structure that works all year to support the arts and artists contributing to the creation of new markets for street theatre. This year, the Creation Support Programme has welcomed the work of eleven companies in residence. Works such as A Mí No Me Escribió Tennessee Williams, from the company Roberto G.Alonso or Apocalypse Uploaded, La Transhumanització De Les Abelles from LAminimAL, which will premiere at the Fair, critically impacting the contemporary world.

Among the most important innovations of the 2016 edition, within the Official Section, we must point out the birth of #EspaiZebra, where the companies Baal and Les Impuxibles present two perspectives on the crossing point between sexualities. The #Mirades project, commissioned to two non-European companies, CCOT (South Korea) and Carretera 45 Teatro (Mexico), will share their particular vision turned into a stage experience concerning our understanding of the city as a meeting point.

We will also have programming from #UrbanNation, a section dedicated to urban culture that will take place throughout the entire day in the Plaça de les Nacions with the latest works of Montana Colors Cultura in collaboration with the local artists Tope, Iron Skulls Co., Get Bak, Ravid Goldschmidt & Quim Moya and the Americans Omari and LaNaija and Ephrat Asherie Dance.

This year FiraTàrrega has an artistic focus dedicated to Chile, an opportunity to learn about the art scene in the country by means of proposals such as Fulgor, from Teatro Niño Proletario, who performed a creative residency in the city, within the Creation Support Programme. You can also see the stagings of Frames, by La Licuadora, Viaje nº 9, by Teatro del Sonido and La Cocina Pública, by Teatro Container. The latter has involved several neighbours of the city of Tàrrega in its production.

To celebrate the intercultural potential of FiraTàrrega, this edition will, in addition to the opening show from the French company Artonik, include large format co-productions Manifesta, the latest creation by Obskené, a fun and festive song that celebrates difference; the premiere in Spain of Misa Fronteriza, from the Mexicans Universiteatro & Gorguz Teatro, a reflection on cultural hybridization and the sense of boundaries; the premiere of Mulïer by Maduixa Teatre, a tribute to all the women who for centuries of oppression have fought and continue to fight for their rights; or Cafe Europa from the Italians Ondadurto Teatro, an allegory that portrays the hypocrisy and the vices of our society.

Other outstanding premieres will be performed by Joan Català, Ponten Pie, Kukai Dantza Taldea, Grupo Puja, Cirque Exalté, Companyia de Circ 'eia', HURyCAN, El Pont Flotant, La Industrial Teatrera and Fundación Collado - Van Hoestenberghe, amongst others.

Performing arts market, professional activities and international agreements

FiraTàrrega goes far beyond theatrical exhibitions and year after year is working to become a top level professional, causing the relationship between buyers and sellers, which contributes to generating market and synergies, positioning the field of performing arts. As of today, the fair's professional office has accredited 715 professionals belonging to 418 national and international organisations.

This year the fair is one of the stops for the project Circus Arts and Street Arts Circuit - CASA European programme for cooperation between professionals of contemporary circus and street arts. During the first half of September, 10 professionals from across Europe will visit various creation and exhibition spaces (among which is FiraTàrrega) and see firsthand the reality of street arts and circus in Catalonia. The project is led by Festival MiramirO from Gent (Belgium) and four co-organizers participate: Zahrada, a circus promoter in Prague (Czech Republic), Circusinfo Finland (Finland), Subtopia (Sweden) and FiraTàrrega.

As a public service and professional market, the fair has among its main objectives the internationalization of Catalan companies, as evidenced by many of the projects in which it participates actively: such as the SummerStage Festival in New York, where this summer the Iron Skulls Co., Quim Moya and Ravid Goldschmidt carried out ​​an artistic residency at the creation centre Snug Harbor (Staten Island). The piece that they prepared together premiered at SummerStage and will be presented in Tàrrega within the context of #UrbanNation. Thanks to this interchange, the American companies Ephrat Asherie Dance and Omari and LaNaija will perform in Tàrrega this year.

FiraTàrrega is also collaborating with C.L.A.P.S. SPETTACOLO DAL VIVO (Lombardy, Italy), the Italian network of festivals specialized in street arts, which will bring the young Fattoria Vittadini and his  Unraveled Heroes and the Ondadurto Teatro, known by the audiences of Tàrrega with Cafe Europa. This agreement also includes the participation of Catalan companies in the Italian territory.

Finally, thanks to the collaboration with Ansan Street Arts Festival (Ansan, Korea) we can enjoy the piece by the Korean Cheol-Sung Lee, a supportive and inclusive artistic vision focused on the daily life of people from Tàrrega that are not the usual. A work about immigrant communities in the city. Similarly, thanks to this project, the breakthrough artist of the fair in 2015 Carla Rovira participated in the Korean festival.

In the field of the activities organized by or welcomed by FiraTàrrega, we would like to highlight the Lunch Meeting from the Department of Culture of the Generalitat, organized by the Market Department of the ICEC. An informal meeting among international programmers and national companies that present projects to the fair.

La Llotja, home to multiple professional activities, has 53 exhibitors in its 1,000 m2 and Club Pro will become an informal meeting place for professionals, going beyond entertainment. 

FiraTàrrega, city and participation

In this edition participation again becomes one of the foundations of the programme, given that FiraTàrrega understands public participation as a key part in the creation of performing arts. FiraTàrrega wants to bring diverse projects to the audience so that they not only see the results but that they can actively participate in the creation process before, during and after the fair.

As proof of this, a total of 122 people took part in theatrical performances such as Algo De Mí, Algo De Ti, from the Mexicans Carretera 45 Teatro; Massager, from the Korean company CCOT or El Diván De La Peluquería from Sienta la Cabeza; The Colour of Time, from Cie. Artonik; the latest creation from the Valencians El Pont Flotant; La Cocina Pública from the Chilean Teatro Contáiner, Kiku Mistu and the #ciutatvisible from the Catalans Colordellop.

In addition, during the days of the fair the audience can participate in the exchange of views and ideas at Stage Vermouths, at the Ateneu coffee shop, led by critics of the digital platform Recomana.cat and the collective #Tuiteatreros of Madrid.

On the other hand, this year FiraTàrrega proposes a Transvermouth, a gathering on Sunday the 11th, after the walk at 12:00 of Les Impuxibles, at the Zebra Space. Once again this year, #FiraTàrregaVoices four people with solid cultural criteria and an active profile on social networks, offer us their personal vision of FiraTàrrega.

*For reasons beyond the control of the organization, the show Doble KO from the company Arcopom is being substituted by the performance of the Americans Omari and LaNaija, who will present the performance Wahala, which will take place in the same space and with the same timetable.

The Colour of Time, Cie. Artonik © Thierry Bonnet

La Cocina Pública, Teatro Container

Viaje nº9, Teatro del Sonido