At the BAD festival we were able to enjoy the most daring proposals of theatre and contemporary dance. Is BAD a thermometer or a shop window?

The aim of the festival has been to show the vanguard from the very beginning. Over the past 14 years, it has undergone major changes, both in terms of rooms, creations and companies. The festival has been slowly getting to know Getaria as the only contemporary theatre and dance festival of Hego Euskal Herria. The BAD festival is a reference for both here and abroad.

The public has welcomed you as always.

In these 14 years we have achieved a steady and faithful audience. We have our own audience, it's always helped us. In addition, we've tried to attract other audiences, presenting new spaces. The novelty of this year has been Bilbo Arte, as contemporary performing arts are very close to visual and plastic arts. The performing arts mix a lot of disciplines. Both theatre and dance have a direct relationship with media and technologies. We have always tried to bring that diversity to our land.

We have tried to involve several rooms in the city, we find the contribution of each of them interesting.

In this year’s edition, little theatre in Euskera has been programmed.

The Basque theatre already has its specific audience, and there have been several proposals that have been presented in Basque. The Metrokoadroka group has presented us with a job that is still in the process of being created, Poza: Why do the Bosnians dance? a preview of the work. Together with them, Anakrussians and the Laboratory Dejabu Panpin have been the creators who are already known in the Basque world and who have actually attracted a lot of people to acting.

On the other hand, we have seen the work of Buruz Behera by Maider Yabar. It's in Spanish, but at BAD we decided to do it in Basque, and it filled the room in a great way. In Bea Setién, two representations were offered, one in Spanish and the other in Basque, with limited capacity, 40 people in each one of them, and in both cases they were covered. Also noteworthy is the work of El Canto de la Cabra, which has been seen in both Basque and Spanish. In addition, the translation of the text has meant a lot to talk about, because it is a very poetic text. It has been interesting to see this work as the ones we know about Euskera.

It is not usual to direct contemporary dance to the general public, this discipline has few possibilities.

Only the Bilbao Foundry room offers us a schedule to see contemporary dance throughout the year. So we tried to bring the dantzaris from the outside. It's been hard works for the public at large, more appropriate for people who know choreography and dance, but the opportunity has been worth it.

Interestingly, in contemporary dance, most groups are temporary, they're formed on a project or a piece, and then they don't have perseverance. Dantzaris are used to this kind of work. Those who work in the theater, for their part, do a collecting job, bringing together the creators of their environment around a theater play. The two worlds are different.

The benefits of the crisis? Use your imagination?

It's possible. However, both actors and dancers should be thanked. In this crisis situation we live in, especially in the living arts, which continue to work above all, presenting quality works and productions.

What do you think about the rise in VAT in the living arts?

It has done a lot of harm to all of us. It is something very close to me, because budgets and contracts are often closed... That increases the work, we have to negotiate at the expense of who VAT is going to be, and it is clear that many theatre and dance groups cannot cope with that rise. As far as BAD is concerned, despite the fact that this year it has a reduced budget, we have tried to maintain quality and minimise the working conditions of creators.

You are also responsible for the Bilbao Circuit. It is an initiative to bring the theatre closer to the neighborhoods of Bilbao. Is it an awareness-raising work?

I think it's a catchment job. It has many objectives: on the one hand, to take the theater and dance out of downtown Bilbao, to be able to see it in the districts and in the halls of the municipal centers. The entrance is free and people are getting closer. On the other hand, amateur or fake companies are also offered the possibility. Programming is done every three months and is usually small format work. We offer them decent working conditions and the possibility of working in the neighborhoods of Bilbao.

He also runs the Bilboeszena Theatre Resources space. What are the figures for this year?

We have very good results, especially in courses and seminars. In the Castilian groups, people are waiting because not everyone comes in, and the Euskera groups have also been filled. Given the circumstances, it is not bad. Prices are very cheap, and with the crisis, with other more expensive schools, it has been detected in pre-enrolment. The Bilboeszena was inaugurated in 2004 and has since gained partners, created a database and has been disseminated throughout the world of theatre and dance.

The Stage, the project of the Higher Theatre School that is about to be held in Bilbao, is there. The Union of Basque Actors has on many occasions expressed its indignation, as the mandate of the Basque Government has been exhausted and has not taken advantage of the project despite being previously agreed.

Institutions are often overlooked. Would it be good to have a theater or dance award, as in literature?

Our creators need recognition, especially to get out, because even though their level is getting better and better, they're getting harder. Here come a lot of Catalan creators, and so do the actors here. Strengthening the ties here and there is a task that falls to us as directors, programmers and cultural agents. At the BAD this year we have invited the critics and programmers of Catalonia and Madrid.

You yourself are a programmer who works in several areas, what should your task be? Bridge between the public and creators?

The truth is that our theatrical panorama is wide and varied, there are many theater companies and there are few festivals, it is one of the few BAD.La truth is that there are very good theater plays... You have to find something round, balance those in here and those in the outside, take into account budgets, measure infrastructure or space needs, all that has to be taken into account. The relationship with creators is also very important. It is also important to strengthen ties between creators, professionals and the public that have approached the festival.