El Canal to co-produce two performing arts projects from Festival Z each year

The Centre for Performing Arts Creation El Canal and Festival Z are joining forces to boost emerging creation. From now on, El Canal will co-produce two of the performing arts projects participating in Festival Z every year through the new programme “Emergents – Impuls Escènic”, an initiative designed to support and guide creative processes so that they can develop under professional conditions.

With this agreement, both institutions reaffirm their shared commitment to detecting talent and professionalising new artistic voices, contributing to ensuring generational renewal within the sector. The programme will offer financial resources, workspaces, and artistic, technical, and production mentoring tailored to each project.

According to Xavi Díaz, Managing Director of El Canal, “this collaboration allows us to take another step forward in supporting contemporary creation in our territory, connecting emerging talent with professional structures like the ones we have at El Canal, with the goal of strengthening these companies.” Díaz describes it as “a commitment to continuity, quality, and territorial networking,” born from the close partnership established with Festival Z since its beginnings.

For Eva Ferré, Director of Festival Z, “this agreement is an opportunity to give continuity to the projects that emerge from our festival. It’s a way to nurture creative processes and ensure that young proposals have spaces to mature and share their work with audiences.”

The first companies selected under the “Emergents – Impuls Escènic” programme are Col·lectiu Alipori and La Ventura.

Col·lectiu Alipori, formed by Paula Benito, Ainhoa Osuna, and Celia García de la Plaza, presents VERECUNDIA, a piece that turns shame into scenic material. Three female bodies explore the limits of ridicule, fragility, and public exposure in a game between intimacy and the external gaze. The project starts from clowning as a form of expression and evolves into an emotional performance where vulnerability becomes the creative drive.

Meanwhile, La Ventura presents DIMONIS, a project by Guillem Sánchez Garcia, with Maria Oliver and Enric Verdaguer, proposing a meeting point between ritual, concert, and scenic liturgy. Drawing inspiration from authors such as Verdaguer, Palau i Fabre, Maragall, and Rodoreda, the piece summons the words that ignite mystery to explore the power of language to express the inexpressible. It is a collective and physical experience, featuring shared scenography and live music.

Throughout the season, the companies will benefit from creative residencies, open showings, and a financial contribution of up to €10,000. The programme will be completed with two additional co-productions to be announced soon, making a total of four annual projects representing the new generation of contemporary performing arts creation.

With this initiative, El Canal and Festival Z take a further step in supporting emerging creation and strengthen an alliance committed to continuity, care, and the growth of young companies in the territory.