In August 2024, Fernanda Videla, stage manager at Teatro Biobío (Chile), took part in an artistic residency for the production of the new opera Don Juan no existe (Don Juan Does Not Exist), written by composer Helena Cánovas and premiered at Festival Castell de Peralada. This experience was organised by Ópera Latinoamérica (OLA) and the Catalan festival through a call for Latin American stage professionals. As part of OLA’s mission to foster capacity building for Latin American workers and artists via partnerships with other theatres and organisations. The residency in Peralada marked a turning point for Fernanda, who later designed the set and lighting for the new opera Hijas del Mundo (Daughters of the World), premiered in November of the same year at Teatro Biobío as part of the Òh!pera project in collaboration with the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.

 

It’s the year 1923, and Teatro Princesa in Madrid stages the comedic monologue Don Juan no existe, written by Spanish author and playwright Carmen Díaz de Mendoza Aguado, known as the Countess of San Luis. After its debut in Madrid, the play premiered in 1924 at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Over the years, the text—asserting that “Don Juan would not triumph when women place themselves beyond his reach”—faded into obscurity, with little trace of the work or its creator remaining.

 

A hundred years later, composer Helena Cánovas (Barcelona, 1994) revives this historical episode to create a new pocket opera—small-scale—titled Don Juan no existe: Sobre lo que olvidamos y lo que permanece (“Don Juan Does Not Exist: On What We Forget and What Remains”). Winner of the second edition of the Carmen Mateu Award from Festival de Peralada, Cánovas premiered the work in August 2024 during the eighth evening of this traditional music and performing arts festival, held annually in Peralada, Girona.

 

 

With music that juxtaposes early 20th-century modernism and contemporary sounds, alongside minimalist staging by director Bárbara Lluch, Don Juan no existe offers a critical and modern reinterpretation of the Don Juan figure while reclaiming works by women that have been silenced throughout history.

 

In the weeks leading up to the premiere, Fernanda Videla, stage manager at Teatro Biobío (Chile), took part in an artistic residency focused on the opera’s production. This initiative, the result of collaboration between Ópera Latinoamérica (OLA) and Festival de Peralada, allows Latin American stage professionals to closely observe the development and production of artistic projects at the Catalan festival.

 

 

“From Teatro Biobío, we saw the residency as a learning opportunity, in a festival with extensive experience from both a stage and technical production perspective, as well as within the pocket opera format,” explains Fernanda Videla. This transatlantic exchange also aligns with OLA’s broader partnerships with theatres and organisations to support the training of professionals from Latin America. Oriol Aguilà, artistic director of Festival de Peralada, emphasises that “the small-scale opera format is a necessary and useful space for fostering exchanges between continents—not only for cost-effective transportation but also due to sustainability criteria we must manage and defend.”

 

 

A Gateway to New Works

 

During the production process of Don Juan no existe, Fernanda participated as an observer, exploring various aspects of the opera’s production and artistic areas, including lighting, sound, and set design. “I had the chance to visit the festival’s production workshops, understand the ecosystem that enables its operations, and see how various areas intertwine with the Peralada community to make the event possible,” says Fernanda, an actress and set designer who has participated in initiatives like TBB Lab creation and innovation lab and the implementation of XR Stage technology, a project carried out in collaboration with the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, OLA, and the Centre for Technological Revolution in Creative Industries (CRTIC).

 

Established in 1987 by Carmen Mateu, Festival Castell de Peralada features lyrical recitals—showcasing voices such as Montserrat Caballé, Hildegard Behrens, Eva Marton, Alfredo Kraus, Ramón Vargas, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Jonas Kaufmann—symphonic-choral concerts, operas (often in-house productions), and multidisciplinary music, theatre, and dance performances.

 

 

Another focus of the festival is its commitment to education and the professional and creative development of young talent through artistic residency programmes. One such initiative is Campus Peralada, which has hosted 3,000 students and 150 schools across its eight editions, organising over 120 activities with more than 100 artists in over 30 municipalities in Alt Empordà.

 

“In this context, I want to highlight the role of the artistic resident, primarily offered to young artists but also to choirs and orchestras with residency profiles that have a special role in certain editions of the festival. For them, the event serves as a fantastic platform to gain recognition, both in Spain and internationally,” notes Oriol Aguilà.

 

 

Pocket Opera for Export

 

Before her involvement in Don Juan no existe, Fernanda Videla worked on the set design for Cavalleria Rusticana (P. Mascagni) and Pagliacci (R. Leoncavallo)—staged in 2022 at Teatro Biobío in Concepción, Chile—and supported the co-production of Patagonia (S. Errázuriz) by Teatro Biobío and Teatro del Lago, which will make its European debut this February at Teatro de la Zarzuela.

 

“The experience of Don Juan no existe was a step further, as the audience was seated in a bifrontal format. This was very interesting but also required addressing technical and staging challenges,” reflects Fernanda.

 

In Bárbara Lluch’s minimalist staging, black and white take centre stage, complemented by lighting effects and interactive spaces between performers during scene transitions. Fernanda summarises: “Opera is fascinating to observe because many elements come together as a whole. In this case, even some orchestra musicians entered the stage and interacted with singers, showcasing a desire to create an ensemble among all present elements and artists.”

 

 

More recently, Fernanda was in charge of set and lighting design for Hijas del Mundo at Teatro Biobío, a new work by composer Marian Márquez, directed by Alicia Serrat and premiered in November 2024 as part of the Òh!pera project in collaboration with Gran Teatre del Liceu.

 

“Partnering with different institutions is a smart move—it allows for cost-sharing and, importantly, ensures the work is showcased in different locations, reaching diverse audiences in various regions” — Fernanda Videla

 

Also considered as a pocket opera, Hijas del Mundo depicts a dystopian future where environmental catastrophe has profoundly altered life on Earth. “Similar to Don Juan no existe, Hijas del Mundo also avoids traditional frontality. It is an immersive and intimate experience, breaking with the conventional structure I previously associated with opera,” shares Fernanda.

 

On this evolving notion of expression, immersion, and connection in modern opera, Oriol Aguilà affirms: “At Festival de Peralada, we strive to demonstrate that opera is a living art form that must connect with today’s realities to avoid becoming an untouchable relic confined to museums.”

 

Fernanda agrees: “It’s clear that tackling an opera production is challenging for cultural institutions due to the high costs involved. Partnering with different institutions is a smart move—it allows for cost-sharing and, importantly, ensures the work is showcased in different locations, reaching diverse audiences in various regions.”