Barcelona will become the capital of humor with the In Risus festival

Barcelona will become the capital of humor from March 16 to 20 with the Festival In Laughter (Inside Laughter), where laughter will be the protagonist. The first sample of these characteristics will feature around thirty performances by Berto Romero, Don’t Get into Politics, Pablo Ibarburu, Ana Morgade, who returns to the scene, or Charo Lopez, who will program their shows in a dozen theaters in the city. Even the Palau Sant Jordi will have a show from La Era Moderna with a new show, which, if all goes well, will start shooting in January 2022. It all depends on Ignatius Farray, a key part of the group that forms with Quequé and David Broncano, recovering. “He has suffered an anxiety attack and is trying to overcome it,” explains Pau Gil, member of MPC Management, the largest comedy agency in Spain. They and those responsible for the Cruïlla festival have teamed up to transmit good vibes to the public with this festival.

In Risus starts with an extensive program that reflects the good times of humor in Spain. There are very varied shows for all ages, two of them for children. La Ruina, Valeria Ros, Venga Monjas, Miquel Noguera, Txabi Franquesa, Guillem Estadella, Andreu Casanova and Toni Moog They are also part of the program, which will have a space in the Raval Theater destined to discover new promises of kilometer zero. Tomàs Fuentes, screenwriter for Andreu Buenafuente, and Berto Romero will be in charge of presenting the performances, presented as a ‘open mic ‘to give discover what is coming. Tickets are available on the festival website: www.inrisus.com.

“During the festival, Barcelona will be the city with the most laughs per capita”, predicts Pau Gil, director of the show, which offers a series of tickets with discounts depending on the number of shows purchased.

It will not be a joint festival but there will be an outstanding female participation, and it features the feminist humor of ‘Calladitas estáis más guapas’, a show performed by established and emerging comedians. Among the novelties, highlight the show of Ana Maria Simon and Paula Arcilla, regulars of the radio program ‘A vive’, who will debut in Barcelona with the podcast ‘Permitido equivocarse’ and who warn: “The first time is never forgotten.” David fernandez will premiere his new proposal, ‘I’m not fine’, and it will also be seen ‘The Primitals’, show by a cuartero from a surreal tribe that combines a cappella music and humor.

Consolidate the sector

“We want to promote a sector that has a great reception among the public but that has only started to professionalize seven or eight years ago, since before the artists basically performed in bars, in very precarious conditions,” says Gil. “The comedy industry has long been calling for a festival of this magnitude.” In Risus wants to be a meeting point for the profession. The delegate of Cultural Rights of the Barcelona City Council, Daniel Granados, and Edgar García, director of the Business Development Area of ​​the Generalitat, have supported the initiative presented this Tuesday at the Teatre Apolo. Granados highlights the importance of the sector, “very necessary in these difficult times, which provides fun, but also criticism, intelligence, speech and interaction. We need humor more than ever”. For García, “it is good news that the organizers have managed to involve so many theaters in the city.” Neither one has been able to specify what the support of the institutions they represent will consist of.

The festival will unfold in all kinds of rooms. From the small Llantiol to the Apolo, the Victoria Theater, the Barts Room, the Regina, the Aquitania and the Borrás Theater, among others. There will also be newly released spaces such as Sala9Bosque, where shows such as ‘I survived the EGB’, by Jordi Merca, among others, will be seen.

The Champions of humor

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In addition to comedy shows and ‘stand ups’, the festival will feature two children’s shows, including ‘Homemade experiments: the show’, With which youtubers Natalia and Mayden jump on stage to carry out curious tests with everyday objects. But In Risus also wants to be a meeting place for the profession, to become a humor hub that attracts comedians, screenwriters, programmers and the public. “Gathering 70 comedians in Barcelona one week will go well for the bar and drug industry, of course. It can revitalize the city,” jokes Txabi Franquesa, who will perform at the Regina with ‘Escocía’. The actor appreciates that In Risus takes local artists into account. “It encourages being in a program with such powerful people, it encourages – he continues -. It’s like being in the Champions League!” He, who has been in the profession for 20 years, believes that “comedy is real rock and roll for all the people it attracts.” And if music festivals are held, welcome to a festival that aspires to become a benchmark and in the future attract first swords of laughter from all over the planet.

For Manel Portomeñe, founder of MPC Management, the In Risus festival is an important step. “Humor has been gaining ground in recent years. It represents 22% of programming in theaters. I hope that in the future we will not only see Spanish humorists, but also those from China, the Maghreb or Pakistan.” We will see.