The Festival of the Word returns, a breeding ground for local dramaturgy.

PalmA conversation between Gabriel Alomar and Josep Ferragut, a tour of a city that has been left in the dark from the perspective of three women, and a triptych on the millennial generation where concepts such as 'toxic positivism' resonate. These are just three of the ingredients that make the new edition of the Festival de la Palabra, an initiative organized by Produccions de Ferro that takes place between the months of October and May, can be defined as "a festival of construction." "And that doesn't mean it's a festival under construction," Toni Gomila, director of Producciones de Hierro, suddenly clarifies in conversation with ARA Baleares, "but rather it invites us to reflect on how we build cities and how we relate to each other, all together, indirectly and sometimes in very obvious ways."

Among those that are obviously linked is The architect, a work that can be seen from November 7 to 16 at the Teatre del Mar and which arises from the first call for support for stage creation organized by the festival. The text, written by playwright Pep Ramon Cerdà, reproduces a meeting between Gabriel Alomar and Josep Ferragut just hours before the latter's lifeless body was found. "This call has been very important for us," explains Gomila, "because it also contributes to building the scene. With the limitations we have, we are very happy to have been able to serve the creators. We think that the usual model here is different, and often playwrights must have their own company to focus on everything they want to create a production for the festival." Another piece has emerged from this call, entitled Literal and with dramaturgy by Xavier Uriz, which will also be seen at the Teatre del Mar between March 13 and 22.

12th Balearic Islands Playwriting Tournament

In fact, the incorporation of this stage space, in addition to the Principal Theatre of Inca and Can Balaguer, as the festival venue, is another feature of this year's Festival of the Word, which also debuts its collaboration with the Valencian Playwriting Tournament. The participants of the island tournament, which will reach its twelfth edition this January, were also announced this Tuesday: Carme Serna, Alfonso Morillas, Marina Nicolau and Miquel Ferrer, who will face off in the different 'combats' that will take place between January 9 and 18 of next year.

And although it is more recent, another of the sections of this festival has already managed to become a classic on the cultural scene in our country: the Literactua project, in which island playwrights adapt texts by Balearic authors and which in this edition debuts a reading club, moderated by Tomeu Canyelles at Rata Corner. This year's participants will be Marta Barceló, who will sign the adaptation of Escape and martyrdom of Sant Andreu Milà, by Miquel Àngel Riera; Xavier Núñez, who will adapt Consolations by Miquel Serra, and Lluki Portas, who has chosen the work If I were a carpenter and you said to yourself, Maria, by Blai Bonet. The stage versions of the first two literary works will premiere on January 23 and February 27, respectively, in the Teatro del Mar tent, while the third will premiere on April 16 at Espai El Tub. All of them will also go on a short tour to different Mallorcan municipalities such as Manacor, Binissalem, Santa Margalida, and Montuïri.

Before all this, however, the first activities scheduled within the framework of this festival—"which is not just a set of dates and performances that begin and end, it is a way of bringing out the work of the entire year and of beginning a journey with many of these pieces, which goes beyond the Festival of the Word," Toni points out. Starting this Thursday, there will be various opportunities to enjoy dramatized readings of texts written by the authors who participated in the residency at Espai el Tub, in a program organized in collaboration with Palma's Teatro Principal. This Thursday, there will be a first reading session.A day without judgment (or second part of a day without tourists), by Marina Collado in the same Espai El Tub, where a first reading of the book will also be offered on October 30th. From the dry city, where Joan Fullana and Joan Tomás Martínez invite you to take a nocturnal and urban journey from the point of view of three women.

The trilogy of the millennial condition, signed by Miquel Mas, the surprising proposal by Albert Boronat in A house in the mountains and the hybrid proposal 39 degrees in the shade, A free adaptation of texts by Antonia Vicens, promoted by Rata Cultura and directed by Carme Serna, as well as a whole series of dramatic encounters with speakers such as Victoria Szpunberg and Carol López, complete the program of this new edition of an initiative that, like the local scene, grows year after year.