Puppets have something special: they make children laugh and disarm adults. They tell stories that caress, surprise and, sometimes, they say in a low voice what is difficult to hear out loud. They remain so alive because they connect with something very simple and deeply human: emotion.
That is also the spirit that drives the Fira de Titelles de Lleida. A festival that, over the years, has established itself as one of the great events of puppet theater in Spain. It is an international event, an essential stage event, a professional market and, at the same time, a celebration that transforms the city every spring.
This year, in addition, the edition has had a special meaning: the 37th Fair coincided with the 40th anniversary of the Center de Titelles, promoter and soul of the project. “It has been an opportunity to look back and become aware of the path we have traveled and of all the people who have made it possible,” explain Elisabet Vallvé and Oriol Ferre, the directors of the Center de Titelles.
Once again, Reale Foundation participated as Honorary Patron of the Fira, to support a project that turns Lleida into a meeting point between professionals and the public. Your support is part of Culture with Impact, the initiative with which it promotes cultural projects capable of generating social value and strengthening the community fabric.
When tradition serves to energize
The Fira was born as a parallel activity of the Festa Major of Lleida, as a small gesture within a great celebration. But it grew, evolved and ended up becoming a reference within the sector. “It has not stopped evolving until it reaches what it is today,” point out Vallvé and Ferre.
This year, the contest brought together 27 companies, with 29 shows and almost twenty premieres. The programming ranged from family proposals to productions for adult audiences. Among the highlights, Sabotageby the German company Sara Angius & Johanna Ehlert: a piece that inaugurated the edition at the Llotja and that fuses dance and human-sized puppets.
Precisely this dialogue between the classic and the contemporary is one of the hallmarks of the Fira. “We look for innovative proposals, but without losing sight of the traditional techniques that explain where we come from,” say those responsible for the institution. The glove puppet, shadows, threads and the most experimental visual languages coexist in a festival that understands artisanal memory as a starting point to explore new paths.
Lleida, scenic city
The international projection of the Fira has been growing over time. Companies from six countries participated in this edition and professionals from three continents attended. The event is a meeting point for creators, programmers and audiences from very different places; During those days Lleida is filled with accents, aesthetics and diverse views that enrich the artistic dialogue.
It has been an opportunity to look back and become aware of the path traveled and all the people who have made it possible.
Elisabet Vallvé and Oriol Ferre, directors of the Puppet Centre
Added to this external dimension is a program of artistic residencies in collaboration with the Casteliers Festival, in Montreal (Canada), which expands the projection of the Fair and builds bridges between creators from different territories. Because the fair is not limited to exhibiting shows: it also accompanies processes, encourages new artists and feeds the evolution of the craft.
A fair that embraces the city
Beyond its professional impact, the Fira has forged a deep bond with citizens. “Many neighbors feel it as something of their own; after 37 years, there are families who started coming as children and now come with their children,” say Elisabet Vallvé and Oriol Ferre. This generational continuity is one of the greatest achievements of the project.
And that roots are noticeable in the streets, in the squares, in the way the city changes rhythm during those days. This year, the shows have occupied 22 spaces – from the Seu Vella to the Museu Morera – and nearly a hundred performances have turned Lleida into a living stage, where heritage dialogues with the performing arts and the city mutates towards a great shared theater.
Puppets with a social vocation
In recent years, the social dimension of the Fira has grown strongly. It is no longer just a festival: it is a network that spreads throughout the city and reaches places where culture sometimes takes longer to reach. Inclusive initiatives, collaborations with social entities and activities in schools, nursing homes and penitentiary centers have expanded their impact and meaning.
Accessibility programs – such as performances in Catalan sign language or shows without text – and solidarity actions with the Food Bank and the Blood Bank complete a community view that understands culture as a space for encounter, care and participation. The directors of the project summarize it like this: “Theatre not only entertains; it must challenge, bother and make the viewer more critical and wise.”
Alliance that multiplies the impact
In this creative and community ecosystem, the support of Reale Foundation as an Honorary Patron becomes decisive. Your involvement embodies the spirit of your project Culture with impact: understand culture as a driver of employment, cohesion and positive transformation of the territory.
“Collaboration with entities like Reale Foundation is very important for projects like the Fira, because it allows us to reinforce and give continuity to initiatives that go beyond the artistic exhibition,” conclude Elisabet Vallvé and Oriol Ferre. Thanks to this alliance, the Fira expands its social dimension and consolidates a solid, open and sustainable cultural network, which benefits both the citizens of Lleida and the national and international creative fabric.