The Soho Theater goes all in on dance with the international TipToe festival

Unexpectedly, Antonio Banderas made a surprise appearance at the press conference held by the Teatro del Soho Caixabank to present its new season for the year 2026. The actor from Malaga emphasized his appearance to reaffirm that this year's theater commitment is to dance with TipToe. This international dance festival will be directed by the prestigious dancer Lucía Lacarra, whose main goal is to merge international dance with Malaga's culture.

TipToe will bring to Malaga some of the world's most renowned dance companies, such as Malandain Ballet Biarritz, which will present its show 'Les Saisons'. This work, choreographed by Thierry Malandain, will be one of the French choreographer's last projects, as Lucía Lacarra has been able to confirm his retirement next year. Another major company attending the festival is the Bavarian Junior Ballet. The announcement from Bavarian Junior Ballet came along with great news for local talent. The German company will hold auditions in the city of Malaga and will offer two contracts to young dancers to give them the opportunity to train and, at the same time, tour European stages with their dance.

This will not be the only initiative to promote local dance talent, as Banderas and Lacarra have announced that on December 12th at noon, everyone who wishes can come to an outdoor barre in the center of Malaga. This barre will be previously sent to all dance schools, and anyone who wants can access it and learn it to practice on December 12th alongside professional dancers from the Soho Theater.

Autóctonxs Festival

Another major commitment of the theater will be the Autóctonxs Festival by San Miguel, directed by the Malaga artist Alessandra García. In its fourth edition, it will feature works like 'AYOUB' by the Argentine Marina Otero, which García highlighted as an "impactful" and "performative" piece. Within this festival, the work that created the most division among the theater's directors was 'Military Exercises to Confuse Ecstasy with Agony'. The theater's director, Aurora Rosales, had many doubts about this work due to its explicit nudity, but Antonio gave his approval with a single phrase, "without censorship". Alessandra has emphasized that this festival is a great opportunity to showcase local talent and can serve as an artistic springboard for many performers.

Regarding theater productions, the center's director explained why this season will focus on re-staging, following a different strategy from previous seasons. This decision, according to the director, meets the needs of the audience itself. "There were many people who couldn't get tickets for the plays, or by the time they found out, there were no more dates available," said Rosales. In this case, the season's re-staging will be the play 'Godspell', directed by Antonio Banderas himself. A play that requires a lot of effort from the theater, and which finds in re-staging its best tool to reach a larger number of people. They also aim to achieve this with the launch of a new theater app, where exclusive content can be viewed and tickets purchased more easily.

Among the exhibition plays, there are also novelties. Theater classics like 'Tootsie' or 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona', written by Shakespeare, will be presented at the Soho. Another highlight of the season will be 'The Yugoslavs', written and directed by playwright Juan Mayorga and starring Javier Gutiérrez.

During the press conference, the cancellation of the show by the American singer and actress Audra McDonald, who will join the cast of an HBO production, was also announced. Following the announcement, it has been confirmed that her replacement at the Soho will not be just any artist. Broadway icon Patti LuPone will take the stage at the Malaga theater in her place. The Teatro del Soho continues its commitment to giving young people in the city the opportunity to enjoy the great stars of musical theater and thus bring culture closer to the public.