MIGUEL ANGEL CANTERO (Circle Theater Programmer)
The Teatro Círculo celebrates thirty brand new years in 2023. Celebrates three decades a little earlier than other independent venues in Valencia —Carmen Theater, Micalet Theater or Sala l'Horta— that in the spring of 1995 They raised the curtain one by one to expand a theatrical offering that was then scarce in the city.. There were the Main, the Rialto, the Olympia and little else. Teatro Círculo had begun to make its first steps in 1993 associated with the Pablo Corral Dramatic Studio School, far from the neighborhood that today gives him shelter and where he feels like a fish in water: Benimaclet. A couple of years after the start, Miguel Ángel Cantero joined the project., current manager and programmer, who we have asked to tell us a little about the history, the present in Benimaclet and the projection of this small performing arts hall supported by more than sixty members who live in the neighborhood by joining neighborhood initiatives such as Benimaclet ConFusión or the theater classroom at the Pere Catalá School in Benimaclet, programming our own productions with a stable company and opening the door to external formations that bring the most diverse genres and disciplines in their backpack., under the premise that, in the creation, there can be no limit or censorship.
Thirty is a long time and invites us to look back. How was Teatro Cículo born??
Four years after the birth of the Estudio Dramático theater school, we saw it necessary for the actors who emerged from it to be able to have a performance hall.. And what is more important, a procedure in the tests consistent with the criteria studied, consistent with the inheritance we had taken. Another factor was the absence of rooms with these characteristics in the city at that time.. The Circle is born, by the geometry itself that references, as an interior space of representation, not just a creation company. This is how it was born and how it clearly developed for more than a decade, since its beginnings with M… (Nana, Hey Joe and Breath) by Samuel Beckett on Maldonado Street, in Velluters, former headquarters of the Dramatic Studio. Then came different productions, For just over the first decade, programming was mostly based on our own work..
In Valencia it has been quite common for independent theaters to move from one place to another looking for space., visibility or stability. Carme Teatre changed Carmen for Les Tendetes, Espacio Inestable el Botáníc por la Xerea, Sala Ultramar occupied the old Gran Cielo Theater before ending up in Arrancapins. You have passed through Velluters and Aiora and, from 2014 you are in Benimaclet. In your case, What were you looking for with each change?? Why did you come to Benimaclet?? What is special about the neighborhood?
All our changes have always been a bit in search of better conditions. The room where the project originated had 146 square meters and we had neighbors upstairs. In the previous one they were going to raise our rent and, in this situation, we look for other options. We wanted to find a balance between the rental price, the square meters and that it complied with the regulations. Benimaclet was casual. We searched the different neighborhoods of the city and we just found this place, former headquarters of the film production company Candil Films. The fact of being in this neighborhood, where many students live and where there are a large number of neighborhood associations, It has had a great relevance in our evolution and our way of doing things. Cohabiting a space with such active people nourishes and enriches us as artists and human beings..
Explain to us what it consists of People's theater for the people. Did being settled in Benimaclet influence the birth of this project??
It is a community experience in which people without previous stage experience participate.. Neighbors of Benimaclet, of all ages, They participate in a workshop that ends with a sample of the process. It is usually directed by one or more members of the Teatro Círculo and takes place one afternoon a week.. Definitely, Being in Benimaclet hand in hand with the different groups has greatly influenced the birth of this project. This desire to share, to transmit our stage knowledge for free, generate tools and empower people through their creative abilities. Currently, we just started the seventh edition.
He passed through your stage 2021 Woman on treadmill on black background, a small work by Alessandra García from Granada that ended up winning the MAX for Best New Show. What makes you want to program a work?? What should you have?
Definitely, Alessandra García was a revelation and caught our attention since we saw her material. It is not the only work that passes through our room and later receives awards, fortunately. Also, sometimes, We have previously awarded works, like last year the Perigallo Teatro company with Headliners. From the living room we like to see everything that companies send us: synopsis, project members, the origins of the proposals, Your creative processes, the places where you have been, full video (when there is)… On other occasions, the information that reaches us is scarcer, a proposal from a company with a text explaining the line of its project... For us it is also very important that the proposal coincides with the artistic line, that fits with the rest of the programming or with some of the cycles, either by genre or by theme. We also like to feel that it is a professional show, with careful details and a message that goes beyond entertainment.
Do you sometimes program for militancy? I explain myself: Are there genres or disciplines that you know have no appeal for the public and yet you program them out of conviction??
We understand theater as a transformative and enriching tool, that seeks to make the viewer reflect and question. In a way, culture is also educational. I don't know if the exact word would be “militancy.”, but we always program, even when we think it may not work, thinking about what moves society or what it needs to reflect on.
What have you prepared to celebrate this thirtieth anniversary?? What interesting pieces can we see in Círculo this season that begins??
We have been celebrating all year. We held a commemorative exhibition during the months of March, April and May, that collected materials from its own productions during these three decades—cartels, changing rooms, images and sets—as well as our programming: tarpaulins, handheld programs, articles… Also, we have scheduled important shows again. some own, as Gaskin, a work of historical memory that has already had almost forty performances throughout the state. We also had other projects from related companies, either for being partners or members of Teatro Círculo, as The pantiesSenda Teatro The betrayal 60.3 from the company Unatardeteatro. The next 26 October we premiere a new production, The owl effect with text by Pepa Lluesma. Besides, This year's sample of People's Theater for the People will be related to the thirtieth anniversary.
In the mid-nineties there was a great explosion of performing spaces in the city. After you came the Teatre Micalet, Sala l'Horta and the Carme Teatre, years later Unstable Space, Ultramar Room, Russafa Room… Is survival difficult for a small theater in Valencia?? Is there an audience for so much offer??
The performing culture, one that is conceived as something more than a training product, has always had a complicated situation. But it is necessary because it directly challenges society.. The question should be different: “Do we have enough rooms for a city with so many inhabitants like Valencia??”. Surely, we are doing something wrong...
I imagine that it has been a great joy to know that you have just been awarded the National Prize for Performing Arts for Children and Youth 2023 at L'Horta Theatre, a company with almost fifty years of experience. Is Valencian theater in a good moment??
We are very happy and proud of our colleagues at L'Horta, It is a well-deserved award for years of hard work and dedication.. The Valencian Community has always been the cradle of great artists, That's why it's important to invest in them..
How does the future of independent rooms look like with the political change in the City Council and the Generalitat?
Whenever there is a political change, there is uncertainty in the culture. We trust that they govern and legislate for all the people who make up society., if not so, you have to be critical and say it.
