Fifteen-minute Culture Fix

Patricia Sagués founded Barcelona Microcultura in the summer of 2012. She was inspired by a dinner conversation with a Madrid-based actress friend who had just launched a project called 'Microteatro'. Excited at the idea of starting a similar organisation in Barcelona, Sagués proposed the idea of putting on shows in a ‘micro’ format to friend and fellow creative entrepreneur, Xavi Larrull. They decided that, rather than just focusing on theatre, they would name the project ‘Microcultura’ and expand its scope to include dance and opera.

“It took forever to find a venue that fitted our needs—we needed at least four separate spaces where performances could happen simultaneously,” Sagués said. After much searching, they settled on the restaurant Zarko (Comte d'Urgell 280), where they transformed the basement, kitchen and bathrooms into tiny micro-venues. Soon after, they were introduced to Bruno Valls, who is a member of the performance group, Marionetistas Nomadas. He took control of programming the Microcultura shows and expanded the concept further by reaching out to his contacts in the worlds of puppetry, mime, circus, and performance art.

So, why Microcultura? According to Sagués, the experience is much more intense when compared to a traditional theatre or dance event. The audience is so close to the performers—the smallest performance space so far measured just ten square metres—that they are not simply observing, but “actually living, experiencing and discovering the show as it unfolds,” explained Sagués. Performances only last 15 minutes, which allows the public to sample many different events in one evening.

Audience members can purchase a ticket to just one micro-show for €3.95, or buy a discounted pack that includes entrance to between two and six shows, a drink and a programme with a list of showtimes. As each performance is repeated up to six times throughout the evening, showgoers can create their own performance itinerary.

Microcultura presented 51 individual shows in 2015. The most successful categories to date are dance and theatre, specifically the shows Puta Hostelería, Cheers, and Twins. All were performances created specifically for Microcultura, and later went on to longer stints in festivals and other venues.

Events for the 2016 season are yet to be announced, as Larrull, Valls, and Sagués will spend the first part of the year focusing on the development of the Microservicios aspect of Microcultura—a concept that won the 2015 CREC Award, a cultural grant funded by local brewers, Moritz. Microservicios are made-to-order private mini-events, where actors put on a show in a company’s office or in a space of their choice, such as a restaurant or bar. “We bring culture to the audience instead of the other way around,” Sagués explained. “We think that it is unique to be able to offer an experience like this to your employees or clients. It is an entertaining, unconventional way of being a force for cultural exchange and discussion in Barcelona. We hope that the idea will really catch on this year.”

Stay tuned for the 2016 season at www.microcultura.es. And, if you have an idea for your own Microcultura performance, you can also pitch it via the website.