Àfora

A dialogue between contemporary art and the performing arts.

The Romea Foundation investigates artistic forms to activate terms such as fervor, passion, the sublime, beauty or inspiration that paradoxically cause discomfort. A discomfort that manifests itself when we show ourselves sensitive to the world and reveal our vulnerability. It could be said that our effort seeks to summon ghosts, as Joan Fontcuberta did with the artist Margarida Xirgu, or Eduard Márquez when he tried, in a certain way, to overcome his ghosts to advance his literary work.

The intersection wall between the theater and the street, between the stage and society.

In the theater world, the virtual wall that separates the stage from the spectators is known as the fourth wall, and for a long time the actor-spectator interaction has been called “breaking the fourth wall”.

La 5a Paret is a meeting point that will allow us to capture concepts that emerged from the stage and take them to the field of philosophy, to analyze them from different angles and formats.

Àfora Focus Edicions is the publishing imprint of Focus, created to ensure the lasting legacy of ÀFORA’s activity and to uphold the conceptual and aesthetic significance of the selected texts and creators.

Within Àfora Focus Edicions, you’ll find collections such as Pre|Ocupaciones, a publishing format born to channel Focus’s need for reflection on certain topics discussed in internal debates; or Quaderns de Notes, inspired by the tradition of quote-based books/explorations, aphorisms and literary maxims—books where everything is said through quotations and which serve as creative sources for actors, actresses and playwrights of Catalan and Spanish theatre. Notebooks made to browse, read, wrap oneself in, and let go.

The Escenaris collection brings the most notable texts of contemporary playwriting to the editorial format, including the adaptation of John Milton’s Paradise Lost, written by Helena Tornero and illustrated by Paula Bonet, Safo by Cristina Rosenvinge, and Immunitat by Jordi Casanovas, among others.

Àlbum de teatre is a publication that offers readers a visual journey through great moments lived by actors and actresses on the stages of the Focus Group’s theatres.

Àfora Focus Edicions, together with Comanegra, also promotes the Santa Eulàlia Novel Award of Barcelona, a prize that has already become one of the leading literary awards in the Catalan language. It rewards unpublished works in Catalan and promotes literary creation linked to the city of Barcelona by fostering local narrative talent.

All books published by Àfora Focus Edicions are produced and printed in Catalonia.

A connection between professionals in the theatre sector in Barcelona and Madrid.

618 are the kilometres between Barcelona and Madrid, the two theatre centres of the State. We want to take advantage of this distance to foster a closer relationship between professionals in both cities, creating a permanent circuit and channels of personal relationship, which allow for increased synergies aimed at increasing co-participation and creative and artistic exchange.

PLATEA 618 will feature meetings between artists and creators, and between managers and producers, to debate atavistic concerns and new challenges.

GRANSTEATRERUS

#gransteatrerus is the social project of the Focus Group aimed at helping combat unwanted loneliness among the elderly and encouraging active aging through theatre and culture.

#gransteatrerus seeks to foster generational bonds between older and younger people using theatre as a connecting thread and shared interest, from both audience and user perspectives.

Launched in the 2023–2024 season, #gransteatrerus has already become a stable initiative hosted in the Focus Group’s theatres—Teatre Romea, Teatre Goya, Teatre Condal, and La Villarroel—and also includes complementary activities such as meetings with renowned actors from the Catalan stage.

Joining #gransteatrerus means experiencing theatre like never before: sharing emotions, reflections, and experiences across generations.

AUDIENCE COUNCILS

The theatres of the Focus Group—Teatre Romea, Teatre Goya, Teatre Condal, and La Villarroel—are made up of active spectators who engage in the day-to-day life of our theatres, contributing ideas, insights, and opinions, serving as ambassadors, and collaborating in the dynamics of our stage spaces.

This initiative is the theatre-based embodiment of the Congress’s core mission: to give audiences a voice and learn firsthand about their desires.

INTERNATIONAL THEATRE SPECTATORS CONGRESS

The International Congress of Theatre Audiences, held biennially in 2022 and 2024, is the only international gathering by, for, and about theatre spectators, because we believe that audiences are both art and a fundamental part of the theatrical experience.

The Congress is a unique opportunity to gain firsthand insight into the needs, concerns, and beliefs of performing arts audiences. It was created with the goal of bringing spectators together so they could reclaim their role in the performing arts value chain and rethink their future position.

The two editions of the Congress gathered nearly a thousand registered attendees, and from these events emerged the Theatre Spectators’ Manifesto, crafted from the ideas, desires, hopes, and aspirations of the 50 international spectators invited, coming from 25 countries across 5 continents.