The regional government of Asturias is hosting the fourth edition of Escena en Rede, a professional showcase for the performing arts, which runs from today until Thursday at Laboral Ciudad de la Cultura in Gijón. The event, organised in collaboration with EscenAsturias, has attracted 238 professionals from the performing arts sector, aiming to foster creation, facilitate experience exchange, and strengthen collaboration and hiring opportunities between companies and programmers.
During the opening ceremony, Vanessa Gutiérrez, the regional Minister of Culture, Linguistic Policy and Sport, highlighted the strong response to the first call of the Rede de Teatros y Auditorios d’Asturies (Retea), which received 196 project submissions. Of these, 42 are from Asturian companies, while 154 come from other regions. A total of 178 projects fall within the performing arts category.
The showcase will feature around twenty dance performances, a similar number of circus proposals, and nearly twenty musical initiatives, alongside numerous multidisciplinary creations. Over three days, eleven Asturian companies and the invited group Popy Vegas Teatro from Castilla y León will present their work across various spaces in Laboral.
The programme includes twelve performances, three round tables, and two commercial meetings designed to promote professional exchange and discuss key challenges in the sector, such as artistic residencies, performance distribution, and inter-territorial cooperation.
Today's artistic programme kicks off with performances from Proyecto Piloto presenting Sin embargo se mueve (theatre); Circo Bajo el Tejado with Ese país en el que nunca he estado (plaza); ACAR Teatro del Mundo with El Umbral (room 1); and Dana Raz Dance Projects with Mujer, cerrada por obras (Teatro Alejandro Casona of the ESAD).
Tomorrow, Saltantes Teatro will perform La balada del Norte (theatre); Teatro del Cuervo will present Hebras – La caja de la memoria (painting room); Higiénico Papel Teatro will showcase El cocinero del Titanic (room 1); and Guayominí Producciones will perform Drácula de Bram Stoker (Teatro Alejandro Casona of the ESAD). The showcase will conclude on Thursday with performances from Norbayu Teatro with Matadero (theatre); El Callejón del Gato with Dido y Eneas (painting room); Popy Vegas Teatro with El circo de los monstruos (room 1); and Mono Escena with Lady Hitchcock (Teatro Alejandro Casona).
All performances will be free until capacity is reached, with priority given to registered professional audiences. Escena en Rede will also host three round tables and two commercial meetings aimed at addressing some of the main challenges facing the performing arts.
The first session will focus on artistic residencies, moderated by Jimena Rodríguez from the Gijón Municipal Culture Foundation, featuring participants such as Amaia Ibáñez (Eskena and Camino Escena Norte), Xavi Díaz (El Canal Creation Centre), Antonio Cervea (Castillo Palacio de Magalia), and Carmen Pico (INAEM). Tomorrow's discussion will revolve around performance distribution and strategies to improve the circulation of productions, moderated by Paz Álvarez (Arlequina Espectáculos) with contributions from Rocío Prindado (Portal 17 Cultural Productions), Raquel Berini, and María Mariño (Kandengue Arts). Finally, Thursday's session will explore cooperation opportunities between regions and the establishment of collaborative networks among professionals and cultural administrations, moderated by Nerea Soto, coordinator of Camino Escena Norte, with input from Marta López Royano (Cantabria Culture Department), Sebastián Fernández Podadera (Abecedaria programme of the Andalusian Network of Public Theatres), and actress, director, and playwright Popy Vegas.
These activities will provide a platform for sharing experiences, identifying common opportunities, and strengthening professional relationships within the sector. This year's edition also includes two prior training sessions for performing arts professionals, one focused on regional funding lines and the other on digital tools to enhance project visibility, strengthen positioning, and broaden audience connections. Thus, Escena en Rede continues to establish itself as a meeting point for creators, companies, programmers, and cultural managers, offering Asturian formations a chance to showcase their work, expand contacts, and forge alliances that could lead to new contracts, co-productions, and joint projects.
