The instance will be carried out virtually between June 29 and July 2. In addition to a meeting between the theaters associated with the OLA network (June 29), the meeting will also discuss issues of the lyrical and theatrical scene in a Technical Forum (July 1 and 2) and the Committee will meet for the first time Fundraising (July 2) to deepen strategies for raising public and private funds.

The resilience of art in times of crisis has once again demonstrated its transformative power and strength as a meeting point between cultures. At some point, Aldous Huxley compared culture to a family circle, whose members talk to each other about the figures in the family album. The push and resistance of the family that makes up the lyrical scene, in this case, would not have been possible without a persistent collaborative work, open to accepting the challenges that history puts ahead.

We know that the challenges ahead are enormous, so it is necessary to catch up and continue working together. That is why between Tuesday, June 29 and Friday, July 2, the 2nd Ibero-American Meeting of Theaters will be held, organized jointly by the association of Spanish theaters Ópera XXI and Ópera Latinoamérica (OLA).

This second edition will begin on Tuesday, June 29 at 12:00 PM (Chilean time) with a meeting of the theaters associated with OLA to share the learnings and work carried out in the last 6 months and to meet again as a network and maintain international collaboration activities.

On Wednesday, June 30, at 10:30 AM (Chilean time), it will be the turn of the digital meeting with the Spanish association of theaters Ópera XXI. In this 3-hour day, the balance of the last 6 months of theater openings and performances will be discussed, which have shown a light of hope and expectations for both theaters and audiences. The perspective of the upcoming months of shows and seasons will also be addressed. The meeting will have as Iberian representatives the Bilbao Association of Friends of the Opera (ABAO), the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona and the Teatro Real in Madrid.

The meeting will continue with a new Technical Forum on July 1 and 2 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. On this occasion, the proposed line will be followed in 2020, a meeting in which more than 100 technicians from 9 countries participated. This year, the thematic lines of work will be: “Tailoring, characterization, hairdressing and shoemaking” and “Machinery, stage machinery, construction, storage and management” (Thursday, July 1); “Painting, sculpture and props” and “Lighting, audio, video, photography and documentation center” (Friday, July 2).

Finally, on Friday, July 2, at 12:00 PM the Fundraising Committee will debut, a new space to share strategies for raising public and private funds. The exhibitors on this occasion will be Helena Roca, Director of Sponsorship, Patronage and Events of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, and Marisa Vazquez-Shelly, Director of Private Patronage of the Royal Theater of Madrid. Fundraising is an issue that stands out particularly for cultural organizations, which were severely affected by the health crisis. Bearing this in mind, in the future the committee will work periodically with specialists who will present on trends and lines of patronage and application for national and international funds.

The challenges that this health crisis has raised in the theater sector have been overwhelmingly tough and difficult to cope with. However, networking and the union to share solutions will allow the lyrical scene to return and meet all the actors that are part of this wonderful international scene. In Goethe’s words, the experience of knowing and recognizing in art and music “is an act that renews and enriches life.”