La Pregonera, the stable cultural programme, will be offering more than thirty performing arts, exhibitions and music events this year 2024. This Tuesday at the Santiago Rusiñol Library, the Mayoress of Sitges, Aurora Carbonell, and the Councillor for Culture, Albert Oliver-Rodés, presented a wide range of activities and events that make up a diverse and quality agenda dedicated to culture. Also taking part in the event were the president of the Casino Prado, Carme Artigas, and Mercè Munné, managing director of the Sitges Heritage Consortium.

The Escorxador is expected to be available in March as a new cultural space for the town. For its premiere, the Department of Culture will be programming a play, a dance piece and a family show for one weekend. Beforehand, there will also be an open day so that the public can see the new space.

La Pregonera, coordinated by the Department of Culture, is published on paper and can also be found at Sitges Town Council's municipal facilities such as the Libraries, the Tourist Office, the Espai Jove, the OAC and the Miramar - Cultural Centre, among others. Updated information on the cultural agenda can also be consulted through the digital version on the websites www.sitges.cat and https://www.culturasitges.cat/la-pregonera #entrades.

PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMME

This 2024 La Pregonera is loaded with reflections on love. The new season's programme kicks off on 26th January with the adaptation of the classic 'Cartas de amor' by Marc Rosich and starring Lloll Bertran and Àlex Casanovas (Teatre Prado at 8 pm). This funny and emotional romantic comedy shows how two characters read to the audience the love letters they sent to each other for almost 50 years.

Another highlight will be the comedy 'Amnesia' (22nd November) with a cast led by actress Mercè Arànega. This production, written and directed by the Argentine playwright Nelson Valentí, also features Victoria Pagès, Míriam Iscla, Joan Negrié and Albert Salazar, among others. With black and corrosive humour, the Argentinian director and playwright presents the difficulties of the different members of a family when faced with deciding who will have to look after their mother, now that she will need help because she can no longer live alone.

The dramatic comedy 'Conspiranoia', headed by the actor Eduard Farelo, is also a highlight of the programme. The play, with text by Jordi Casanovas and Marc Angelet, will be performed on the stage of the Prado Theatre as part of La Pregonera. Actors Àurea Márquez, David Vert and Mia Esteve complete the cast alongside Farelo. They all play the roles of a group of lifelong friends who prepare an intervention for a friend who is convinced that the earth is flat.

Theatre also invites reflection and debate, and a good example is 'Polvo de diamante' by the Argentinean director and playwright Nelson Valente, which will land at the Prado on 5 April. This play brings a topical issue to the table based on a story inspired by a real case. The play begins when Dani denounces having been the victim of a brutal LGTBIphobic aggression. His story goes viral, but his testimony does not seem to convince the investigators of the case and, above all, public opinion. The play goes further and asks whether an allegedly false accusation can discredit the suffering of an entire collective while questioning the role of the media and media lynching. The Vilanova-born actor Dafnis Balduz and Albert Salazar star in this play directed by Pau Coya.

To celebrate the centenary of the death of the playwright Àngel Guimerà, 'He mort el pop' (10 May) will come to the Prado, with dramaturgy by Lluís-Anton Baulenas. This contemporary approach pays tribute to the author of mythical works such as 'Mar i Cel' and the classic 'Terra Baixa'.

The Feliuettes company returns to Sitges with a new play 'Amor a muerte' (31st May) to reflect on how people love through love in the broadest sense of the word (couple, maternal or romantic love, among others). This theatre group was present in 2021 with the show Akelarre in La Pregonera.

Family shows

In the field of family shows, 'Un vestit nou per a l'emperador' will be staged at the Teatro Prado (27 October), a classic play by the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, author of tales such as 'The Ugly Duckling', 'The Princess and the Pea'. This play shows how honesty is more important than appearances.

There will also be the theatre and puppet show 'El pez irisado' (5 May) by the Tanaka Teatre company, which will take children to the depths of the ocean at the hand of a very special animal to discover the value of diversity and the importance of sharing.

La Pregonera will also present the musical comedy 'Alice in the land of mobiles' (30 November) by the playwright and scriptwriter, Marta Buchaca. The playwright makes a free version of the classic (Alice in Wonderland) by Lewis Carroll to talk about the use of mobile phones among children. The play is aimed at children aged 6 and over.

Dance
The activities to commemorate International Dance Day (29 April) will once again be brought together under the name 'Dansa Sitges' at various venues around the town for almost a week, from 24 to 30 April. The traditional opening bar next to the San Sebastián beach will kick off a very varied programme to promote this discipline. Among the events will be master classes by professionals and amateurs, an exhibition by the students of the various schools in Sitges and the traditional open bar of classical dance, which takes place in Port de n'Alegre street (next to San Sebastián beach).

The Classical Dance Gala (28th April) will complete the celebrations for International Dance Day. The Centro de Danza de Cataluña (CDC), one of the main training centres for classical dancers in the country, will perform at the Prado Theatre.

Music

The renowned American saxophonist Scott Hamilton will perform at the Casino Prado (2 February) accompanied by the saxophonist Toni Solà, the pianist Gerard Nieto, the double bass player Ignasi González and the drummer Xavier Hinojosa. During the concert, the musicians will perform a repertoire that includes standards, ballads and blues.

The British singer Janine Johnson will also display her powerful and powerful voice at the Casino Prado (14 June) with great soul and jazz hits, accompanied by the pianist Àlex Badia.

In addition to these two concerts, La Pregonera will also be programming the 11th edition of Jazz Antic Sitges (20-24 March), directed by Sitges musician Joan Pinós. This is a festival of reference for lovers of old jazz, bringing together musicians from all over the world to make young and old dance to the rhythm of swing, jazz manouche and other classical sounds.

The Pregonera also includes other musical events such as Barraques (from 16th to 18th August) with concerts by the main groups and artists on the Catalan music scene; the Jardines de Terramar Festival (from 26 July to 11 August), which also includes the Imprescindibles cycle (with small-format music and dance performances by artists from Sitges and the rest of the Garraf region), and the cycle of Classical music in the Racó de la Calma, promoted by Sitges Town Council as part of the Sitgestiu, which features concerts by the winners of the Josep Mirabent Magrans Competition. The Sitgestiu is an event organised by the Museums of Sitges, which also has musical activities as its main theme.

La Pregonera also includes the Dona-Art en Femení Festival (5-8 September), which offers a multidisciplinary programme that includes different types of artistic expressions, from theatre and music to stand-up.

Exhibitions

One of the backbones of La Pregonera is the exhibition programme, and this season's highlight is the exhibition dedicated to 'El Amigo de las artes' (1926-1929), the first avant-garde magazine in Catalonia, published in Sitges between 1926 and 1929, in which Federico García Lorca, JV Foix, Albert Cassanyes, among others, wrote, and also in which Salvador Dalí published his first text. The exhibition can be visited at the Maricel Museum from November 2024 to March 2025.

The cultural offer of the Sitges Museums, one of the main attractions of the town, is also completed this year with other exhibitions of its own production such as Models of Beauty. The Old Museum of Artistic Reproductions" (on view until 23 October 2024); Modernism and Noucentisme in the Casacoberta Marsans Collection (between May and September). In addition to these three exhibitions, there is also the exhibition that will open in February at the Stämpfli Foundation entitled 'IN THE WIND / En el viento /Dans le vent / En el viento / Im Wind'.

Once again this year, the summer programme, during the months of July and August, the Sitges Museums, the Sitgestiu Cultural, will include music, art, cinema and family activities to complement the town's offer.

The Department of Culture is organising five exhibitions, two more than last year, as part of the public competition to exhibit at the Miramar-Centre Cultural. This year the selected projects are: 'Películas de un fotograma' by Octavi Intente; 'Cuando el mar habla' by Rosa Gallach Art; 'Miradxs, colours y tránsitos' by Manuel Corrales, 'De la figura a la abstracción' by Consol Bofill and 'Aiguacuit colectivo d'art'.

Another highlight of this year's programme is the anthological exhibition dedicated to the prizes of the Sanvisens painting and Pere Jou sculpture competitions, which this year will celebrate their 38th and 28th editions, respectively.

MORE EVENTS

In parallel, the cultural agenda of La Pregonera is complemented by the festive calendar linked to popular culture such as the Festa Major de Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla, Carnival or Corpus Christi and also with events such as the Poetry Festival or the twentieth edition of the Fotomaig.

TICKETS AND PRICES

La Pregonera 2024's musical and performing arts proposals include various discounts, such as the library card or the cultural season ticket.

The prices of the paying shows and concerts range from 5 to 20 euros, and there are also free shows. Library Card holders can purchase tickets at a 15% discount, while Youth Card holders can purchase tickets at a 50% discount; and Blau+ Card holders will also receive a 40% discount. Carnet Blau S (Social) cardholders will have free admission, as they did for the first, second, third and fourth editions of La Pregonera.

Tickets for shows related to the performing arts and music are on sale at the following websites https://www.culturasitges.cat/la-pregonera