The FITT of Tarragona exceeds 8,200 spectators with Catalan talent and premieres

The FITT of Tarragona has surpassed 8,200 attendees and has closed the 13th edition with a record figure. The festival has thus reinforced its commitment to contemporary dramaturgies, Catalan proposals, and premieres that arrive in the city before anywhere else.

During this edition, the audience found an international company, creations from all over Spain, and a prominent presence of artists from Catalonia. Among the notable names are Glòria Ribera, UNAVEZENLAVIDA, Araka, and Cal y Canto. This is no small matter: Tarragona has once again placed theater at the center.

What explains the record attendance at FITT in Tarragona?

A 13th edition with more than 8,200 attendees

For the reader from Tarragona, the most significant figure is direct: more than 8,200 people have attended FITT’s proposals. The festival has defined this figure as a record compared to the previous edition, so the growth is not just a general impression but the main announced outcome when closing the programming.

The figure places FITT in a visible position within the city's cultural activity. There is no need to dress it up with institutional confetti: when one edition surpasses the previous one, it means that the works have managed to find an audience and that the festival has maintained its attraction capacity.

The full name of the event is FITT - New Dramaturgies, a definition that already marks the playing field. The programming has not been limited to a single origin or a single way of understanding the stage but has gathered Catalan proposals, from various points in Spain, and an international company.

• More than 8,200 attendees, a record compared to the previous edition.
• An international company within the programming.
• Proposals from all over Spain.
• A broad presence of creators and companies from Catalonia.

This distribution is what gives weight to the figure. A record audience is not explained only by a famous name but by a programming capable of opening different doors. And, incidentally, it forces looking at Tarragona as a venue with its own criteria, not as a decorative stop in the cultural circuit.

Why does Catalan talent occupy a central place?

Joan Negrié, festival director, has summarized the FITT’s line with a clear phrase: “it firmly believes in Catalan productions; we want it to be a space that spreads Catalan and local talent”. The statement does not speak only of an artistic selection but of the role the festival wants to assume.

This commitment has a concrete consequence for the audience: Catalan creations do not appear as a complement but as a central part of the proposal. The festival wants to act as a showcase for artists and companies working here, with the view focused on the dissemination of Catalan and local talent.

The word “local” also matters. In a program with international presence and proposals from all over Spain, FITT reserves space for the closest scene. It is a combination that avoids two common temptations: closing itself off to its own territory or importing names as if the city had no creators of its own.

Which names and premieres have marked this edition?

Glòria Ribera opened the programming with "Bomba va"

Among the highlighted names of the 13th edition is Glòria Ribera, star of the opening play “Bomba va”. The fact that she appears linked to the festival’s start gives her special weight within the program, as it is the proposal that opened this edition’s itinerary.

The available information does not detail the plot of the play nor the rest of the performances, and here it is best not to speculate with data that is not there. What is fixed, however, is her inaugural role and Ribera’s presence among the names the festival considers most outstanding.

For the spectator, an opening with a recognized name works as a first statement of intent. FITT wanted to start with an identified proposal and with an artist who is part of this edition’s narrative. Afterwards, the program has broadened its view toward other languages and origins.

Which premieres in Catalonia has FITT presented?

The festival has hosted two premieres in Catalonia that the source specifically identifies. The first is “Col·lapso, ser joven ante los límites del crecimiento”, by the company UNAVEZENLAVIDA. The second is “Limani”, a Basque and Burgos co-production by Araka and Cal y Canto.

These premieres bring a specific value: they allow the Tarragona audience to discover proposals arriving for the first time in Catalonia within FITT’s programming. It is not only a matter of filling the bill; it is a way to bring pieces and companies to the city that expand the stage conversation.

The table allows seeing the programming thread without turning it into an endless list: an opening with Glòria Ribera and two premieres in Catalonia with companies from different origins. The result is an edition that wanted to combine proximity, circulation of works, and names with their own identity.

There is also an idea that runs through the entire proposal: Tarragona not only receives shows but relates them to the Catalan and local talent that the festival wants to promote. This is the part often hidden behind an attendance figure. The 8,200 attendees are the headline; the artistic choice explains what was behind it.

FITT closes the 13th edition with more than 8,200 attendees, a record compared to the previous edition, and an explicit commitment to Catalan productions. Glòria Ribera, UNAVEZENLAVIDA, Araka, and Cal y Canto have been some of the highlighted names, while the premieres of “Col·lapso” and “Limani” have reinforced Tarragona’s role as a meeting point for new dramaturgies. Now it remains to see if this record becomes a starting point, and not just a good figure to close the season.

Source of the article: Editorial / Catalan News Agency