The Fabra i Coats will become, one more summer, a great open-air stage. From July 15 to 17, the festival Breus Sant Andreu will celebrate its fourth edition with three consecutive evenings of theater, a record participation of playwrights and the involvement of four of the most deeply rooted local companies.
The formula remains intact: call for a competition of new short texts, select four of them and bring them to the stage with the complicity of Clip Teatre, La Lírica de Sant Andreu, L’Avançada Teatre and Sant Pacià Teatre. The result is a proposal that combines emerging talent and theatrical tradition in the same project. “Breus Sant Andreu is a 360-degree theater project,” summarizes Sara Cañete, a member of the organization. But what does that mean? “It combines performances with creation,” she adds. In fact, this year, the competition has received 75 texts, a figure that represents a 50% increase compared to the previous edition. “We are growing exponentially,” she celebrates.
The performances will begin every day at 7:30 p.m. in two different spaces of the factory complex. The audience will alternate between stages to enjoy the four selected pieces: Les cadires del vespre, by Miklós Cseszneky, directed by Clip Teatre; I nosaltres què...?, by Quico Grau and Inés María Vázquez, by La Lírica de Sant Andreu; Als vuitanta, carretera i manta, by María Borrás, produced by L’Avançada Teatre; and Lliçons de vida, by Robert Rodríguez, which will be staged by Sant Pacià Teatre. Admission costs 8 euros.
Beyond the competition, Breus has become a meeting point for Sant Andreu theater. “We wanted to hold a new creation competition, but at the same time also reclaim the amateur theater tradition that exists here in Sant Andreu,” Cañete points out. For this reason, it is no coincidence that behind the project there are four entities with decades of experience on stage.
In parallel, the atmosphere provided by Fabra i Coats is also part of the experience. “We really liked this idea of open-air theater, very summery,” notes the organizer. For this reason, the performances take place outdoors, taking advantage of two corners of Fabra i Coats and inviting spectators to move from one space to another. “The combination of open air, urban space and such a symbolic place in Sant Andreu had a lot of potential,” she defends.
After four editions, Breus has ceased to be a test to become a consolidated event on the cultural calendar. "We want to give an opportunity to people who want to write and see their work represented," summarizes Cañete. But the project also looks homeward: "As it could not be otherwise, we also wanted to reclaim the theatrical tradition of Sant Andreu and highlight some companies that are super powerful," he concludes.
