Three years after the pandemic forced Ventura Pons to close the Texas, the emblematic cinemas of the Gràcia neighborhood with 111 years of history will rise from their ashes transformed into Espai Texas, a new cultural and leisure space that from autumn will combine cinema and theatre, a unique and exceptional format in Catalonia with the aim of being a popular cultural reference for the city of Barcelona.
The original cinematographic activity will continue in the two rooms downstairs, one larger and another smaller, where you can see cinema in Catalan -both in the original version and dubbed or subtitled-, and premiere films will be shown and re-releases, classics or blockbusters for family audiences at affordable prices. On the other hand, the other two available rooms will see their structure modified to become a stage space with 200 seats and a program that will bet strongly on creation and contemporary Catalan drama, while giving new life to the successes of proximity rooms
In a symbolic act to present the project to the press, the organizers raised with a big smile the blinds of the premises located at Carrer Bailèn 205 as a sign of optimism and hope in the face of the photographers’ flashes.
The reactivation of the space is being carried out thanks to the support of Gràcia’s neighbors and the union between Cinema Illa Mesina, formed by Isona Passola and Joan Teixidor, and Texas Teatre, with Anna Rosa Cisquella, Natàlia Obiols, Flyhard Produccions and the communication and cultural production cooperative Barc. “We want to recover the spirit and function that Cinemas Texas had. We want to regain the audience and we want to do it in Catalan, continuing a proposal that had been successful”, said Passola with reference to the years when Texas attracted a large audience. “Our obsession is for the queues to return to Texas”, continued the current president of the Ateneu Barcelonès, who described the project as “exciting” and assumed that in some way everyone who is there behind “we are crazy”.
Passona commented that the entrance where the press conference was held will be a large bar where the public will be able to chat on the way out of the cinema or with the actors after the theater performance. “It is very important that there is a place of physical proximity. People need to meet and talk to each other”, emphasized Passona. The idea is that Espai Texas is “permanently open. There will be movement all day.” It can be a space for both festivals and advertising. And in the morning the rooms will be available for schools and institutes. Who is the slogan of the project?
The project has the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona City Council, the Ministry of Culture and the collaboration of Òmnium Cultural. So far it has received around 270,000 euros of public funding and 237,603 euros between its own and private contributions, but the cost of the works and the rehabilitation adds up to around 450,000, in addition to around 96,000 more for the start of the activity. Money is still missing, a minimum of 40,000 euros that they hope to have thanks to a limited micro-patronage campaign through the Goteo platform. That is why they encourage citizen collaboration. For this reason, next Saturday the presentation of the project will take place to the residents of the neighborhood, with a live performance by The Feliuettes. There will also be an open house all weekend.
