Rosario La Tremendita, the National Dramatic Center, and the 10th anniversary of Cirkorama, on the MVA's lineup

The Provincial Council of Málaga has presented this Tuesday the cultural programming for the first half of the year, centered around the María Victoria Atencia Provincial Cultural Center (MVA), as well as in theatrical and exhibition spaces across the province. There will be nearly 200 activities with a budget of 394,693 euros, as announced by the vice president and deputy of Culture, Manuel López Mestanza. The program includes performances by Rosario La Tremendita, plays produced by El Patio and the National Dramatic Center, and the 10th anniversary of the Cirkorama cycle.

Performing Arts

Performing arts play a significant role in the programming. Up until June, the MVA will host companies such as El Patio and the National Dramatic Center (Logroño and Madrid) with the play 'Feriantes'; Sociarte Pro-Culture Collective, which will perform 'Voces de barro'; the Granada-based company Histrión Teatro, bringing 'Disphoria' to Málaga; and the Galician company Sarabela Teatro with 'The Golden Dragon'. Additionally, the Málaga-based Verdial Shakespeare Company will premiere 'Falstaff', while Ron Lalá will stage 'La desconquista', and La Teta Calva will present the play 'Tribute'.

Dance will also have its place at the MVA. The Salamanca-based company of David Vento will stage 'Neardenthal', and the Jiennense Marcat Dance will perform 'Afine'. Lastly, Osa + Mújica from the Basque Country will offer the show 'Lan'. The Ángel Pericet Superior Dance Conservatory of Málaga and the MVA Provincial Cultural Center will hold their third joint gala, featuring 15 short pieces in various styles, performed by teachers and students. Additionally, together with the Ateneo de Málaga, it will host the theater awards gala granted by this cultural institution, taking place on February 21 at the MVA.

In April, the auditorium of the cultural center on Ollerías street will transform into a ring to host the VIII Playwriting Tournament, where four Andalusian playwrights will compete in pairs across two semifinals (April 14 and 15) and a final (April 24) to claim victory. This year's contenders are Julio Béjar, aka 'Mohammad AliExpress' from Almería; María Beltrán, aka 'The sneaky booker' from Málaga; Emilio Goyanes, aka 'The Steppenwolf Chameleon' from Granada, and Arantxa Sanchís, aka 'The golden fist' from Sevilla.

Furthermore, the company Rauxa, based in Catalonia, brings to the MVA 'The Crisis of Imagination', a contemporary circus show featuring dance and surreal puppets. Additionally, Cirkorama, the Málaga Theater-Circus Festival, celebrates its tenth anniversary and will be held specially from June 19 to 28.

Music

All musical genres are represented in Culturama's programming for the first half of the year: pop, rock, indie, alternative, electronic, flamenco, folk, traditional, world music, singer-songwriter, jazz, zarzuela, and classical music. In the 'Con sello propio' cycle, the Colombian band Flor de Lava, which blends folk with Latin, indie with singer-songwriter music, and places women at the center of their performance, will perform. The MVA will also host the Aragonese band Isla Kume, whose proposal is a collective shout, a call to reconnect with roots through emotion and the body.

López Mestanza has highlighted that the MVA "becomes a space that energizes culture in the capital of Málaga with theater, music, exhibitions, documentaries, educational workshops, conferences, and poetry recitals"

In May, the power of Rosario La Tremendita will be enjoyed, who, in addition to being a flamenco singer, is a composer, producer, and lyricist, constantly searching for new sounds and artistic expressions. Closing the cycle in this first semester, the group La Pena will present their first studio work, offering a journey through time and space with popular songs, original compositions, genres, and instruments from various parts of the world, and new melodies born from love, relief, and the joy of expressing oneself openly.

The 'Entrance' cycle will be opened by The Silent Entertainers Band with a special concert, as in 2026 the centenary of 'The General,' Buster Keaton's unforgettable masterpiece, will be celebrated, and it will be relived as at its premiere: on a large screen with live music accompanying every gesture, every laugh, and every emotion.

In March, on International Women's Day, a very special grandmother and her granddaughter's music group will take the stage to perform 'Eternas', an emotional play about different women who marked the history of music. Completing this cycle, the Madrid-based band Anaut and the captivating voice of Ëda Díaz, a sonic bridge that spans the distances between France and Colombia. 'Entrance' resumes its collaboration with MaF for another year, scheduling two concerts that will take place in February, within the framework of the Málaga de Festival activities, prior to the Málaga Film Festival.

Seven concerts are scheduled within the Jazz Festival, three at the MVA and four in the province, and zarzuela enthusiasts can once again enjoy the MVA Zarzuela Festival, hosted by the Teatro Lírico Andaluz company, featuring the works 'La dolorosa' by maestro José Serrano, and 'Las leandras' by Francisco Alonso.

In the province, various performances by artists from the 'Culturama Catalog' will tour the province in the first half of the year according to the needs of each municipality. There will also be concerts, yet to be specified, by the Málaga Symphony Orchestra and the Provincial Youth Orchestra of Málaga.

Moreover, the 'March Hare Festival', the only festival of sacred music and early music in our province, reaches its twelfth edition in 2026 with recitals in Cómpeta, Frigiliana, Almáchar, and Periana. Admission will be free until full capacity is reached.

Exhibitions

Six exhibitions are scheduled in the three exhibition spaces of the Diputación. Pacífico, 54 is displaying until February 27 the exhibition by the Málaga Association of Plastic Artists (APLAMA) 'Presencias 60. Málaga at the Heart of Art', while from March 12 to May 8, a photographic exhibition by the collective Aula 7, 'In Key of Light', which focuses on music and dance, will be shown.

At the MVA (Ollerías street, 34), artist Daniela Miazzo will exhibit from February 5 to April 3, while at the Art Museum of the Diputación (MAD), located in Antequera, the first floor of the Palacio de los Colarte maintains the exhibition '20th Century: Málaga Artists in the Heritage of the Diputación', curated by Antonio Roche, director of the Culture Area.

The ground floor of the MAD hosts until January 26 the exhibition 'Gratia plena', a collection of 24 paintings, drawings, and sculptures by the Granada-born artist based in Málaga, Conchi Quesada. It is open to the public with free admission from 10:00 AM to 8:30 PM, Monday to Saturday. Subsequently, this exhibition space will be occupied by the sculptures of Andrés Montesanto, an Argentine sculptor based in Málaga.

Documentaries

The 'Documentaries at the MVA' cycle, which runs biannually (from January to June) and quarterly (from September to December), will feature 10 documentaries of various nationalities this first semester: Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Chile, Argentina, France, and the United States. The themes are as diverse as they are interesting: nature, war conflicts, cinema, biographies, human rights, and feminism, among others. The screenings start at 8:30 PM at the MVA and access to the room will be free until full capacity is reached.

Cultural Training

Four actions aimed at a diverse audience have been scheduled in cultural training. It starts on February 20 with 'Emotional Portrait', led by Daniela Miazzo. It is an exercise in self-awareness, identity, and perception. There are 15 spots available and no previous experience or painting skills are necessary. Registration can be processed between February 2 and 16. On March 20 and 21, 'Participatory Theater. Culture as a Tool for Social Change' will be taught by the teacher María José Coca Pérez. It is aimed at a youth and adult audience. There are 20 spots available and registration will open on March 2.

Between April 13 and 14, there is an interesting theatrical training course aimed at performers, authors, and those interested in the work of William Shakespeare, under the title 'Who can tell me who I am? Shakespeare in the 21st Century: Body and Word'. A total of 20 spots are available. The course is structured in two sessions dedicated to dramaturgy and performance in adapting Shakespeare to contemporary theater, always from a practical, playful, yet rigorous methodology. It will be taught by Antonio Zafra and Pablo Bujalance.

On the other hand, the actor Andrés Suárez will teach on April 18 and 25, and May 8 and 9, the course 'With You'. The proposal is designed to experience cinema as a family, understanding this as people with whom one has a very special bond: close friends, partners, distant cousins, godparents, tutors, caregivers, etc. The workshop is conducted in pairs or trios and is aimed at people from the age of 10. 'With You' is a theater workshop focused on acting in front of the camera, with a very special feature: living this experience with a family member.

Vice President Manuel López Mestanza has emphasized that the 'María Victoria Atencia' Provincial Cultural Center (MVA), located on the central Ollerías street, "becomes a space that energizes culture in the capital of Málaga with theater, music, exhibitions, documentaries, educational workshops, conferences, and poetry recitals". However, the programming is not yet finalized and will incorporate a hundred more cultural actions from all disciplines in the coming months.

This Culturama programming is in addition to the 80 educational and cultural activities organized by the 'Cánovas del Castillo' Library until June with the aim of bringing reading, science, heritage, and creativity to audiences of all ages.

The extensive programming being prepared by the Diputación de Málaga about the Generation of '27, whose centenary is celebrated next year, is not included in these activities as it will have a special treatment, López Mestanza has reminded.

During 2025, the Culture delegation of the Diputación has organized more than 1,800 activities with an attendance of 335,465 people and a budget of 3.6 million euros.