Q. How did Teatro de las Esquinas come to be, and what attracted you to the project?
A. We came together through an opportunity and a shared need between Teatro Che and Moche and Teatro del Temple. We had been working together for some time in the Association of Performing Arts, the cultural market was changing, and we understood that we wanted a space of our own, a place that we could directly manage for the public, without intermediaries. Teatro de las Esquinas presented itself as a unique opportunity: a municipal space that had been left unfinished after the crisis and was put out to public tender. We submitted a mixed management project, we prepared it for a year, and we decided to invest heavily in it.
Q. A commitment that required a lot of courage. How did it start and sustain itself financially?
A. With a tremendous amount of effort and very difficult financing. It was a time of crisis, banks were not lending anything, and there was very little trust in cultural projects. Even so, we invested all our wealth and built the theater with a significant investment. Those were very tough years, but we were clear that we were not setting up just any business, but a cultural service for the city.
Q. What vision did you have at that time for the theater you wanted to build?
A. We were very clear about what we did not want: intermediaries that separated us from the audience, lack of autonomy, and a space that did not respond to the real needs of the companies and the spectators. We wanted a vibrant, flexible theater, with retractable seating, capable of also becoming a concert hall. The idea was for the artistic content and the relationship with the audience to be central.
Q. What have you learned as a programmer from your previous experience as an actress on stage?
A. A lot. Having worked as a theater company and having performed in so many spaces gives you a very concrete perspective on technical, artistic, and human aspects. You know what works, what a production needs, and how a tour or a performance feels from within. That helps me program with empathy and also from real experience, not just theory.
Q. How would you define the programming line of Teatro de las Esquinas?
A. We are very eclectic. We program for many different tastes and believe there should always be something you want to see. We bet on well-made commercial theater, but also on transgressive proposals, social, political, inclusive theater, and very specific cycles that allow us to take risks. We like the audience to discover new things while also being mindful of the sustainability of the project.
«Commercial theater fills seats, but the more daring one is the one that transforms.»
Q. What type of shows work best?
A. Comedy. People look to disconnect, laugh, and forget their daily lives. Theater, laughing live, is also therapeutic. It works because it connects and because people leave the theater with a sense of relief and enjoyment. That doesn’t mean we renounce deeper proposals, but it does mean understanding that the audience also seeks to have a good time, disconnect, and live a pleasant experience.
Q. You have created cycles with a notable female focus. What is their objective?
A. Yes, with cycles like “Women on Stage,” we want to give space to authorship, direction, choreography, or music created by women. There are many female creators, but it is still harder to produce their shows and sell them afterward. There is still a glass ceiling, and we believe it is necessary to engage in positive discrimination while that inequality exists. Hopefully, one day it won’t be needed, but today it still is.
«The programming of Esquinas is eclectic: commercial theater, daring proposals, cycles of female authorship, and a clear commitment to music and comedy.»
Q. How significant is institutional support for a project like Teatro de las Esquinas?
A. It should be fundamental because culture is a public service and a heritage that needs protection. We would like to have more support, both in Aragón and generally, because cultural investment remains low. If it is truly said that culture matters, that should be reflected in the budget and in the human resources allocated. In Aragón, investment is low, and that is noticeable. There is talent, but resources are lacking.
Q. What is the audience in Zaragoza like? Is it still a «testing ground»?
A. It is a demanding and very unpredictable audience. Some things work immediately, while others, even very good ones, do not take off. But we also see that when a proposal is well communicated and connects, the response is excellent. It is very complicated to anticipate. Zaragoza has an extensive cultural offering, and people respond, although the habit of going to the theater still needs to be worked on.
«Culture is not a regular business; it is a public service that needs more institutional support and more budget in Aragón.»
Q. Has this habit changed after the pandemic?
A. At first, there was indeed a very strong reaction. People were very eager to meet in person again, and the theaters responded very well. Then there were ups and downs, but music and concerts have maintained an enormous strength. I believe that live performances still have a powerful impact, and people increasingly value that experience.
Q. How do you coexist with digitalization?
A. Mainly in management. We use tools to analyze data, study sales, improve ticketing, and better evaluate what we do. This allows us to be more agile and precise. On stage, there are also digital resources that enhance the experience, but the center remains the actor, the truth of what is happening on stage.
Q. What place does Teatro de las Esquinas occupy in the cultural life of Zaragoza?
A. I believe it is very important. We have contributed to expanding the cultural leisure offering, music, education, and theatrical training. And we have also changed the way we relate to the public, betting from the beginning on a very close relationship, knowing who buys, what interests them, and how they feel when they come to the theater. This has helped us build a real community. Coming to the theater is not just about seeing a show; it is the complete experience, it is living something.
Q. After more than a decade, what is your assessment?
A. Very positive. We have built something important in a difficult context. But we remain fragile: culture always is. That is why the struggle is daily.
Q. And personally? Do you miss being on stage and acting?
A. I am still an actress, although now it is what I do the least. But theater remains my passion. It is a place where things still happen that reconcile you with humanity.
Q. How would you define yourselves in a sentence? What defines the spirit of Teatro de las Esquinas?
A. «Rasmia.» Energy, character, work capacity. We are seven very different partners, but we complement each other with respect and a common goal. We are a theater with rasmia: in the
