Digital Programme: Engruna Teatre – Univers

Engruna Teatre
Engruna Teatre is an artistic project aimed at family audiences, led by a team of women – creators committed to the performing arts. The company, founded in 2006, is intended to charm and thrill both grown-ups and children.

The Engrunes (or ‘crumbs’ in Catalan) tell stories and share experiences hoping to thrill and make a difference. They take tiny things, details we don’t usually pay attention to, and they turn them into unique tales, full of symbolism and content.

The Engrunes understand that creation grows in an exponential way when the parts are all added up, so that the shared experience exceeds the individual one. For this reason, they strongly believe in collective creation. They value research and give space and time to the creative process. They question themselves and use what moves them as individuals and as a society as a starting point to creation.

They present quality shows, full of sensitivity and attention to detail, intended to offer various layers of interpretation both for children and adults. They emphasise the importance of the actress onstage by portraying her as a storyteller, performer, object manipulator and musician. They explore the expressive potential of combining words, visual poetry, live music and object theatre. They use the aesthetics, the beauty and the poetry of the scenography to discuss universal subjects. They believe lights and sound are just as significant as the rest of the scenic languages. All in all, the audience can dive into a unique theatrical experience.

Engruna Teatre puts faith in personal and collective growth. It’s intended to encourage critical thinking, promote debate and become a tool for intergenerational communication and social transformation, leading up to creating freer people. Far from moralising to the audience, Engruna’s will is to shake bodies and consciences, aiming to express its view on contemporary and universal realities.

With more than 15 years of experience, Engruna Teatre has produced up to 14 shows, presenting over more than 1,300 performances. We offer shows of small and medium sizes for family audiences, which can be performed in different spaces, both indoors and outdoors. 

Engruna Teatre has taken part in the main festivals in Catalonia and Spain, such as Temporada Alta, Fira Tàrrega, Fira de Titelles Lleida, La Mostra d’Igualada, FETEN, Fira Mediterrània, MADFeria, and has performed in theatres such as Centro Dramático Nacional and Teatros del Canal in Madrid and Teatre Nacional de Catalunya in Barcelona, among others. Internationally, the company has performed in France, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, UK, Czech Republic, South Korea, and in festivals such as Baboro in Galway and Imaginate in Edinburgh.

AWARDS
Engruna Teatre has been awarded with Premi Teatre Barcelona 2024 and Premi Butaca 2024 for the show Dins el cor del món, which was also nominated at Premis de la Crítica 2023. Univers was nominated at Premis de la Crítica 2022 and was finalist at Premios MAX 2024 (Spain’s main performing arts awards).

Maria Ballús
Performer
Maria Ballús studied performance at Col·legi de Teatre in Barcelona. She is also a postgraduate in Dramatic Arts and Education from Institut del Teatre and has studied music, specialising in flute. As well as performing with Engruna Teatre in the show Univers, she is a member of the company La Mariona with whom she has created I.A.I.A., Hey soul sister, Pepa & Pili, les venedores de cactus and Una rentadora de contes. She has also worked for the company La Puntual as a puppeteer in Greta, la rateta que escombrava…, L’aneguet lleig and Patufet, and with La Canica Teatro in the show Història d'un mitjó.

Iria Corominas
Performer
Actress, dancer and musician, Iria Corominas studied acting at Lecoq Brussels, Central de Teatre in Manresa, Spain; biomechanics with Maria Smaevich in Lucca, Italy; and the Margolis Method in Barcelona. She also studied classical violin at Conservatori de Vic and contemporary dance at Àrea Espai de Dansa i Creació in Barcelona. She has worked for several companies and events such as Corcia Teatre, Sàndal Produccions, Cia. Teatric, La Lavadora, L'Altre Festival, Hasta Que Nos Echen, Enemic Natural and Engruna Teatre.

Anna Farriol
Performer and Original idea
Anna Farriol studied Acting and Theatre and Education at Institut del Teatre de Barcelona, and Music Studies (cello and modern singing). As a member of the company Engruna Teatre, she works as a creator and actress in all its productions. She has also played as an actress and musician in several productions such as Big Will Shakespeare at Festival Shakespeare in Barcelona and Bartolomé encadenado at Festival Grec. 

Mireia Fernàndez
Performer, Director and Original idea
Mireia Fernàndez studied Acting at Institut del Teatre de Barcelona, Music Education at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and Musical Studies at Conservatori Professional de Música de Sabadell. As director and founder of Engruna Teatre, she works both as a creator and sometimes as actress in all the productions of the company. Other work includes acting in several productions for the company Flyhard, including I love TV, Ruina and La Revolució; La Marea at the festival Temporada Alta, and appearances in TV series. She directed Lope sobre ruedas for the Centro Nacional de Teatro Clásico in Madrid. She studied with Javier Daulte, Manuel Lillo, Rene Baker and Nicolai Karpov. She also took studies in Management and Cultural Production at the Institut del Teatre, and Cultural Marketing at Servei de Desenvolupament Empresarial de la Generalitat de Catalunya and Barcelona Activa.

Jordi Sala
Performer, Sound Designer, On-stage Technician and Musician 
Technician, musician and guitar player, Jordi Sala studied Sound in Theatrical Arts at Institut del Teatre de Barcelona. He works for several music groups, sound companies and theatres as a freelance sound technician, including La Golden Beat, A Grup Vocal, Rock & Clàssics, dbSo, The Risas and Andersen Audio. He is also founder of an audiovisual production company for live shows recording, working for several artist and institutions including Els Pets, Lax'N'Busto, Marina Rossell, Eduard Iniesta, Orquestra de Cambra de Catalunya, Palau de la Música, Quartet Mèlt, PrideBCN, Ballet Nacional de Catalunya, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Auditori de Barcelona, Mercat de les Flors, Teatre Auditori de Granollers, Teatre Auditori de Sant Cugat and Kursaal de Manresa. He also works in sound and music design for projects such as Cubzzle, 3 Happy Tigers, Les Tres Cares, Lapse, Una dona en el mirall and Engruna Teatre.