Past, present and future come together in the opening of the CCCB Theatre

March 10th, 2011 No Comments

March 2011 could be a moment to remember in the history of the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona. This month sees events that have marked the course of the CCCB in its 15 years of existence and link the past, present and future of the institution.

Firstly, the exhibition “The Trieste of Magris” has just opened. This project continues the spirit of a model of exhibitions created by the CCCB: cities seen through the work and the eyes of a writer. The Trieste of Magris is preceded by Joyce’s Dublin, Kafka’s Prague, Pessoa’s Lisbon and the Buenos Aires of Borges—literature and urban space, two key themes in the work and the programming of the CCCB.

Then, on 25 and 26 March, the Centre hosts year six of Kosmopolis, the Amplified Literature Festival, another of the cultural projects that bears the CCCB’s conceptual brand. Since 2002, Kosmopolis has become consolidated as one of the most innovative meeting points for literature and new forms of written, oral and electronic storytelling.

These two events, the exhibition and the latest Kosmopolis, have been scheduled to coincide with the third activity that makes March 2011 the month of the CCCB: the opening of the CCCB Theatre.

A new stage for culture and the arts

The CCCB Theatre is located in Plaça de Coromines, in a building on the other side of the Pati de les Dones courtyard. The Old Theatre of the Casa de la Caritat almshouse was built in 1912 by the architect Josep Goday i Casals. In 1994, the CCCB started to use it as an office space for collaborating groups before remodelling it to provide more venues for its activities.

The CCCB Theatre opens its doors on 16 March 2011, after the completion of remodelling work directed by the architecture practice Martínez Lapeña-Elías Torres.

The new facility is physically connected with the existing spaces of the CCCB by an underground passageway. The Centre thereby gains over 3,000 m2 in the form of two multipurpose halls, the Sala Teatre and the Sala Raval, and space for installations, storage and offices.

From the Old Theatre of the Casa de la Caritat almshouse (1912) to today’s CCCB THEATRE (2011)

What will happen at the CCCB Theatre?

In 2011, the CCCB opens a new venue to provide better conditions for the activities scheduled as part of the CCCB’s calendar, such as Kosmopolis, Sonar, the Flamenco Festival, Hipnotik, etc.

To welcome the new space, Wednesday 16 March sees the public inauguration of the CCCB Theatre, at 7.30 p.m. An audiovisual installation has been created for the event, starting in the foyer of the existing building and ending in the new auditorium of the CCCB Theatre. The montage is designed as a journey through the past, present and future of the CCCB, and includes the testimonies of many of the personalities to have taken part in activities at the Centre.

During the weekend of 19 and 20 March, the CCCB opens its doors so that the public can visit the new amenity and the exhibitions “Disappeared” and “The Trieste of Magris”. Welcome to the future!

CCCB banners for exhibitions about city and literature. The banners will form part of the installation being prepared for the opening of the CCCB Theatre. Photo: Oscar Monfort

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