Madrid is filled with theatre with the participatory festival 'On the Margins: Theatre at the Foot of the Neighborhood'
2026/03/13
The 21 DISTRICTS program is promoting the first edition of this project, which from March 20 to 29 will bring the performing arts to nine districts of the city with a free program open to all audiences.
Madrid is committed to bringing culture to its neighborhoods with the first edition of 'On the Margins: Neighborhood Theatre Festival,' an initiative promoted by the municipal program 21 DISTRICTS , which will take place from March 20 to 29 at various locations throughout the city. The project, linked to the Madrid City Council's participatory budgeting program, aims to transform theatre into a tool for community engagement and cultural participation.
For ten days, the districts of Moratalaz, Vicálvaro, Villa de Vallecas, Carabanchel, Puente de Vallecas, Usera, Latina, Villaverde, and Tetuán will host a free program combining diverse performance formats and cultural offerings with a contemporary and social perspective. The festival aims to introduce theater to new audiences, strengthen cultural activity in outlying neighborhoods, and foster dialogue around issues of public interest.
The initiative features a diverse program that includes theater, poetry readings, musical performances, and participatory experiences, with a special focus on gender perspectives and current social issues . Participating artists and companies include Pont Flotant, La Joven, Luis Bermejo, Teresa Donato, and Proyecto Cultura , among others.
A festival that kicks off in Moratalaz and Vicálvaro
The festival will begin on March 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the El Torito Cultural Center in Moratalaz with the play "My Previous Life," written by Teresa Donato and Dennis Smith and based on the book "Disappeared Twice ." The piece explores the idea of survival from an intimate perspective, inviting the audience to reflect on the processes of personal reconstruction.
That same day, the Valdebernardo Cultural Center , in Vicálvaro, will host “Presente” , a clown show created by Mireia Miracle that proposes a reflection on the contemporary world and the future that is being built for the next generations.
Theatre, poetry and participatory experiences
The program will continue on March 21 with “The Magic Lamp” , a proposal by Giradas Producciones inspired by texts by Ramón del Valle-Inclán , which will be performed at the Zazuar Cultural Center (Villa de Vallecas) and will return to the stage on March 28 at the Fernando Lázaro Carreter Cultural Center (Carabanchel).
In this same space, actor Luis Bermejo will perform “Hoy tengo algo que hacer” (Today I Have Something to Do) , a play written and directed by Pablo Rosal that explores, with a picaresque tone, the search for meaning and purpose in contemporary life.
On March 22 , the Paco de Lucía Auditorium (Latina) will host “Rebellion on the Net” , a musical show by La Joven inspired by George Orwell 's Animal Farm , transposed to the near future in 2035 where issues such as cyberactivism, social control and artificial intelligence are addressed.
The festival also proposes participatory cultural experiences such as the Literary Booths , installed on March 22 in the Numancia Market (Puente de Vallecas) and on March 27 in Usera , where the public can listen to poems by authors such as Federico García Lorca, Gloria Fuertes, Antonio Machado or Emily Dickinson through telephones installed in the urban space.
Programming with a social focus
Among the most noteworthy proposals is “Menina. I am a whore, a work by Velázquez,” by Proyecto Cultura , which will be presented on March 28 and addresses issues such as bullying, fatphobia, body diversity, and self-acceptance . That same day, María Pastor and Iván Sangüesa will offer the recital “Eight Poems, Eight Women,” a journey through the works of great female poets throughout history, accompanied by live music.
The festival will close on March 29 at the Paco de Lucía Auditorium with “Infinite Adolescence” , by the Pont Flotant company, a stage piece that reflects on memory, conflicts and transformations of adolescence through a staging that combines humor, live music and a strong emotional charge.
Culture in the neighborhoods
With this initiative, 21 DISTRICTS reinforces its commitment to a decentralized and accessible culture, bringing artistic proposals to different neighborhoods of the city and promoting citizen participation.
Created in October 2020 , the municipal program promotes cultural activities in the districts of Madrid with the aim of supporting the artistic community, generating new audiences and revitalizing municipal cultural spaces , promoting values such as inclusion, dialogue and cultural diversity.