Organized by the Community of Madrid and the Alcalá de Henares City Council, the event will offer nearly 60 stage proposals, including over 25 premieres, across almost a dozen monumental venues in the Complutense city. This year's motto, 'Celebrate the Classics,' was chosen by the public in the previous edition, and for four weeks, theater, music, dance, and circus will pay tribute to the Spanish Golden Age.
The inauguration will take place on June 12 in the Plaza de Cervantes with a multidisciplinary show culminating in Quixote, by the Grupo Puja company. The official presentation of the festival was held this Tuesday at the Teatro Salón Cervantes, attended by Manuel Lagos Gismero, General Director of Culture and Creative Industries of the Community of Madrid; Santiago Alonso, Culture Councilor of Alcalá de Henares; and Clara Pérez, the festival's director.
“"Reaching 25 years is an achievement, but it's not that difficult; the difficult part is maintaining a philosophy that embodies the Golden Age across all performing and musical arts."
The program will feature renowned performers such as Silvia Marsó, Secun de la Rosa, Rafael Álvarez, Joaquín Notario, Paloma San Basilio, Vicente Soto Sordera, and Chevy Muraday. The festival will highlight a broad representation of names linked to various performing arts disciplines, including texts by Golden Age authors like Lope de Vega, Calderón de la Barca, Cervantes, Tirso de Molina, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Ana Caro de Mallén, Moreto, Góngora, and Quevedo, alongside lesser-known figures such as Sor Marcela de San Félix, Garcilaso de la Vega, and the Archpriest of Hita.
Among the absolute premieres are Los locos de Valencia, by Lope de Vega, adapted by José Luis Alonso de Santos; Nascencia, by the Ballet Español de la Comunidad de Madrid; and El lindo don Diego. The festival also co-produces La dama boba and presents its own commissions such as La Gallarda, starring Silvia Marsó, and De Oro. Rafael Álvarez will revive El Lazarillo de Tormes, and Paloma San Basilio will star in Dulcinea.
International participation will bring together companies and artists from countries such as Argentina, Mexico, the United States, Colombia, Cuba, Peru, Portugal, and Uruguay. Furthermore, the festival maintains its commitment to local talent through the Creación Alcalá label, which includes 19 proposals from local companies and groups, such as the Orquesta Ciudad de Alcalá and Teatro Yeses.
Beyond theater, the program includes music with works by Strauss and Mozart, dance with the Ballet Español de la Comunidad de Madrid and the Ballet Albéniz, puppet shows, and oral narration. The festival is complemented by parallel activities such as the Spanish Golden Age Theater Conferences and the Audience Academy.
