Lluís Homar (Barcelona, ??1957) will continue to direct the National Classical Theater Company until 2027. The Catalan actor and director took charge of the institution in 2019 amid some controversy because the center of his work had not been the Spanish classics, but has led the company to such notable successes as the recent La discreet enamored, in addition to having put current authors in dialogue with those of the Golden Age in the small room of the Teatro de la Comedia.
The new director of the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music (Inaem), Paz Santa Cecilia, has also decided to renew Alfredo Sanzol as head of the National Dramatic Center until January 2028 – he took office in 2020 – and Rubén Olmo at the head of the National Ballet of Spain and Félix Palomero as technical director of the National Orchestra and Choir of Spain, in both cases until 2027. The only position of the large state performing institutions that has not been renewed is Joaquín de Luz , at the head of the National Dance Company since 2019, whose position will be put up for competition.
Santa Cecilia has signed the renewals “based on the high degree of compliance with the objectives included in its master plans.” They all signed their contracts for a first period of five years and will thus give continuity to their projects.
Inaem points out that Homar’s project has been based on “giving a voice to current authors to expand the points of view of the golden repertoire, in the promotion of the Young Company, for which the training processes have been expanded and to which has become a title company in The Discrete Lover and The Monster in the Gardens, and in the expansion of the editorial line. In addition, “it has approached the young and family audience with 13,825 viewers under 30 years of age in 2023, 74% more than the previous year.”
As for the author and theater director Alfredo Sanzol (Pamplona, ??1972), they emphasize that “he has developed a project in which contemporary dramaturgy constitutes 90% of its programming, maintaining his commitment to the repertoire” and that “the National Dramatic Center has boosted national dissemination, with around 200 off-site performances per season, and has promoted internationalization, through collaborations with the Avignon Festival and the Royal Court.” He has also made progress in a theater that is more open to all audiences with 12 inclusive productions and the production The bar that swallowed all the Spaniards, written and directed by him, won the Max for best show of the year.
The reasons for Rubén Olmo’s renewal (Seville, 1980) include “having reinforced the national and international projection of the National Ballet of Spain, with premieres such as La Bella Otero and Afanador, in addition to promoting pedagogical projects and collaboration with dance conservatories from all of Spain”. In this period, the company has had 168,000 spectators and an average occupancy of 94%, carrying out nine international tours and 58 national ones.
Finally, the renewal of Félix Palomero (León, 1962) is based on having successfully implemented the fundamental lines of his project, such as “support for new creation and young performers through the Focus and Discover cycles and the policy of commissions and premieres, the recovery of Spanish heritage, the increase in the mobility of the Orchestra and Choir throughout the national territory and the return to historical festivals”. In that sense, they assure that “the ambitious programming at the National Auditorium of Spain is today comparable to that of the main international orchestras and choirs.”
