Art, by definition, knows no bounds. Ever since human beings took their first steps in the world, they have been seeking ways to express ideas, emotions, and realities… and tens of thousands of years later, we are still doing the same. With that goal in mind, Russafa Escènica was born—the performing arts festival that brings theater and the visual arts to various venues throughout the city of Valencia.
This year, in its 16th edition and under the theme “Sacred and Profane,” the festival presents a lineup of 23 different works that will explore the ambivalence between what is perceived as perfect (or divine) and the most irreverent and profane reality. The performances are divided into “forests”—long-form pieces in public and private spaces —and “nurseries”—short-form pieces in venues throughout the Ruzafa neighborhood.
From September 16 to 27, we’ll be able to enjoy performances on stages throughout the city that vary widely in genre and format: from circus acts and live music, as in *Alboroto*, to multidisciplinary text-based theater, with plays like *Sr. Bien*, which rediscovers the emotional legacy between parents and children and invites the audience to reflect on the difficulty of ceasing to be “always fine.”
In addition, the festival offers a series of parallel activities related to the world of the performing arts and theater for lovers of any of these disciplines. Tickets are available on the festival’s website.
Below is the complete program with each of the performances, showtimes, and locations.
Complete Russafa Escènica Program
Viveros (short plays)
- [V.1] CANNED
- [V.2] SANTA
- [V.3] FROM THE TOP OF THE PAGE
- [V.4] MÀRET
- [V.5] THE MIRACLE
- [V.6] LA BEATA
- [V.7] STRANGER STRANGER
- [V.8] MY FACE WHEN…
- [V.9] PETER PANK
- [V.10] MR. BIEN
Forests (full-length plays)
- [B.1] ALBOROTO
- [B.2] NO-DIVA
- [B.3] THE UNEXPECTED
- [B.4] The Women Who Lead the Way
- [B.5] Search here
- [B.6] THE WILL
- [B.7] I’ve turned the salt of the wound into a tattoo
- [B.8] AiMiN
- [B.9] Teatro de mangiare
- [B.10] AHLAM, Dreaming of a Life
- [B.11] I Just Wanted to Dance
- [B.12] Shhh
- [B.13] The Story of a Sock
Side Events
- [A.1] Live Arts Workshop.
- [A.2] Russafa’s Performing Arts Map
- [A.3] Pregó
- [A.4] Meeting of companies with cultural programmers and managers
- [A.5] Audience Clinic
- [A.6] Dance Workshop. Aimin
- [A.7] Writing Workshop: Writing from the Heartbeat
- [A.8] Staged Reading: The Night I Mistook a Tourist for a Soccer Ball
- [A.9] A coffee with… Paula Rausell and Begoña Palazón
- [A.10] Award for Best Short Text
- [A.11] Closing Festival
