“The Community of Madrid kicks off the 34th edition of its Festival de Otoño a Primavera (Autumn to Spring Festival) in October 2016. With a sense of both responsibility and excitement I assume the role of artistic director for the festival for the first time this year. Our project seeks to consolidate the festival as the incredible heterogeneous and synesthetic, open and critical space that it is. As the leading festival of its kind in Spain and Europe, I believe that this must be an extraordinary experience, one that continues to introduce the Community of Madrid to the best of the international performing arts scene and the work of the world’s most innovative talents. Uniqueness and the ability to surprise are two of the pillars that underpin our programme and the Festival de Otoño a Primavera must be, therefore, an event that bears witness to the extraordinary.
Historically, this festival has been the window that has opened our eyes to what was happening in the world around us. We now launch a new phase, focusing our efforts on maintaining this policy of outstanding programming while also turning the festival into a driver of discovery of new artists and emerging talents who will become crucial figures in the contemporary scene of tomorrow. My idea is to explore, amaze, and seek out the extraordinary. Our festival must always be a guarantee of quality, honesty and uniqueness. I am particularly interested in the intersection of languages and the use of video, music and words (or not) in shows. Along these lines, we have also made an effort to focus attention on movement dramaturgy. In addition, we want the Festival de Otoño a Primavera to be a platform that helps launch the international careers of artists from the Community of Madrid.
Going to the theatre is a high-risk activity and should remain an event that ensures a quality experience. All the works featured in this edition have something that makes them unique. We want to cover an extensive range of formats, spanning diverse visions and scenic languages. Castellucci brings one of his large-scale works to Madrid for the first time, and Irene Escolar will be our particular muse incarnated in the words of Federico García Lorca. The up-and-coming Belgian group FC Bergman will visit the Teatros de Canal to present their wordless show and unsettling visuals and soundscape that has triumphed throughout Europe. Shakespeare and Cervantes make it to the stage through the tiny greatness of David Espinosa. And we will also have the opportunity to see great artists like Boris Charmatz, Rafael Spregelburd and Guy Cassiers. All the works on the calendar provide audiences with intense and active experiences, appealing to their intelligence and emotion. And there are still many other surprises to discover, which we will gradually unveil.”
Carlos Aladro
Artistic Director of the Community of Madrid’s XXIV Festival de Otoño a Primavera