«La Carroza del Teatro Real» debuta en Avilés, Asturias

Lourdes Sánchez-Ocaña and Yolanda Alonso, during the presentation

The musical vocation of Avilés will receive a great tribute during the San Agustín festival week, with the performance, for the first time in Asturias, of «La Carroza del Teatro Real». An itinerant show offered by the Teatro Real de Madrid, which will stop in Avilés on the afternoon of August 28th, San Agustín’s day, from the Plaza de España.

It was presented this morning by Yolanda Alonso, Councilor for Culture and Festivals of Avilés, along with Lourdes Sánchez-Ocaña, director of brand and institutional image of the Teatro Real and managing director of la Fundación Amigos del Teatro Real. The councilor highlighted «the significance of Avilés being the first city in Asturias where you can enjoy La Carroza del Teatro Real and -emphasized- this choice was not random.»

«Since I joined the Festivals department, we have been working with the Teatro Real team to bring this project to Asturias, where we will bring opera to our neighbors during the San Agustín festivities for free. It is undoubtedly a wonderful opportunity to symbolically unite our Teatro Palacio Valdés with one of the most important theaters in the world, the Real de Madrid,» added Alonso.

The recital will last a little over 75 minutes, during which opera and zarzuela will be the main attractions, with a well-known repertoire that will delight all audiences.

The cast of participating artists includes soprano Rosa Gomariz (Rosa María Gomariz Gavira), mezzo Alejandra Acuña (Alejandra María Acuña Manrique), tenor Eduardo Pomares (Eduardo Pomares Sáenz de Santa María), baritone Román Bordón (Román Bordón Méndez), and pianist Samuel Martín (Samuel Martín Martín).

La Carroza del Teatro Real

The Teatro Real, as the national opera reference in Spain and within its «Cerca de ti» project, created «La Carroza del Real», its itinerant stage to offer an artistic program that includes instrumental concerts, opera and zarzuela recitals, and children’s shows throughout Spain.

La Carroza del Teatro Real was inspired by La Barraca founded by Federico García Lorca during the Second Republic. Its main idea was to bring the classic works of Spanish Golden Age theater to the most forgotten corners of Spain, both economically and culturally. Thus, works by Cervantes, Lope, Tirso de Molina, Calderón de la Barca, etc., were represented. La Barraca was an initiative that continued for many years in various locations in Spain, and is still remembered today for its actions to bring culture closer.

La Carroza del Teatro Real has become one of the main projects for spreading lyrical music and has successfully established itself as a major agent for decentralizing opera throughout Spain. Since its launch in 2022, La Carroza del Real has achieved a significant territorial reach, cementing its position as one of the main projects for spreading lyrical music nationally.

To date, it has traveled nearly 80,000 kilometers, covering 28 Spanish provinces: Badajoz, Barcelona, Burgos, Cáceres, Cádiz, Cantabria, Castellón, Valencia, León, Ceuta, Ciudad Real, Melilla, Córdoba, Cuenca, Huelva, Balearic Islands, Jaén, La Rioja, Madrid, Málaga, Murcia, Seville, Soria, Teruel, Toledo, Valladolid, Vizcaya, and Zaragoza. This territorial coverage not only demonstrates the logistical and organizational scope of the project, but also serves as a clear testament to its inclusive nature.

The impact in terms of audience is also significant: nearly 80,000 people have attended performances of La Carroza del Real since its launch, indicating the project’s ability to mobilize diverse audiences and expand the social base of opera in Spain. The growing demand has led to an increase in the number of shows offered annually by La Carroza del Real: from 5 in 2022; to 15 in 2023; 24 in 2024; to the 33 recitals and concerts scheduled for 2025.

Initially, its structure was created for the Madrid Three Kings Parade, in which the Teatro Real has paraded each year since 2018. La Carroza measures 16 meters in length, 5.80 meters in height, and weighs around five and a half tons. With its proscenium, curtains, and backdrops, it is a small mobile stage created from the transformation of a trailer truck typically used for transporting and storing opera scenery, props, and costumes.

For its construction, a replica of the proscenium of the Teatro Real stage was made. Its interior can be adapted according to the needs of each event or performance. The carriage was successfully unveiled to the public in May 2021 at FITUR, where it received the special FITUR 2021 award.