SPANISH THEATRE PROGRAM

This course offers an in-depth study of Lorca’s work through a contemporary lens, alongside Golden Age and Ibero-American playwrights, with a special emphasis on female and Latin American voices. It explores the dynamic interplay between script, performance, and historical context, fostering fresh interpretations of cultural, social, and political themes. The programme encourages the reimagining of these works within a modern, global framework through both theoretical and practical exploration.

Paula Rodriguez Course Director, Spanish Theatre

Spend the whole summer in Europe with BADA by taking the Spanish Theatre Program followed by Midsummer in Oxford for a 10% discounted rate, a total cost of $15,795 as opposed to $17,550. Application deadline: Feb. 6.

From early June you would study Spanish Theatre, based in London, Seville, Granda and Almagro; followed by our renowned four-week acting intensive Midsummer in Oxford (now in its 42nd year!) based at Magdalen College, Oxford University from early July to early August.

Please note: participants are responsible for their own food, accommodation, and transportation between the end of the Spanish Theatre Program and the start of the Midsummer in Oxford Program.

Contact Jennifer Rockwood on jrockwood@bada.org.uk with questions.

Classes include:

• Spanish Golden Age in Performance This module explores performance practices from the 16th and 17th centuries to the present day, tracing how different generations have reimagined the Spanish Golden Age to reflect their own cultural and political contexts. We will examine key works from both Spain and Latin America, focusing on their contemporary relevance and international reception.
• Historical and Cultural Context A comprehensive look at the socio-political and cultural landscapes of early modern Spain and colonial Latin America. This course situates Golden Age theatre within its historical moment, shedding light on the forces that shaped its themes, characters, and dramatic conventions.
• Verse in Golden Age Theatre An introduction to the complexities of Golden Age verse, focusing on understanding its varied metrical patterns and how they inform rhythm, character, and emotion in performance. Students will learn how to work with verse both in theory and practice, and will also explore how to rewrite and create new work inspired by verse.
• Lorca’s Legacy: Literature, Theatre, and Poetry A focused exploration of Federico García Lorca’s artistic legacy. This course contextualises his work within the political, historical, and cultural framework of early 20th-century Spain and analyses how his voice continues to resonate in contemporary theatre and poetry.
• Lectures & Guided Tours A series of talks and discussion sessions with visiting academics and artists, complemented by guided tours of historical and cultural landmarks in both the UK and Spain. These will offer students a deeper understanding of the heritage behind the texts they study and perform.

Studio Work:

• Performance Laboratory From Calderón to Sor Juana, a practical studio component dedicated to performing scenes, monologues, and choral pieces from canonical and lesser-known Golden Age works. Students will engage in ensemble work, character study, and text-based improvisation. Classes will be held in both London and Spain, with an informal performance sharing at the end of the course.
• Movement and Voice for Classical Texts Sessions are designed to support the actor’s physical and vocal relationship with heightened language. Training will draw from both classical and contemporary approaches to embodying verse and narrative on stage.
• Masterclasses with Guest Artists Technique-driven workshops led by renowned actors, directors, and theatre makers specialising in classical theatre and cross-cultural performance. These masterclasses aim to deepen each student’s artistic toolbox and provide diverse perspectives on interpreting Golden Age drama and Lorca’s legacy today.

Paula Rodríguez, Course Director Graduating from the Real Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático (RESAD) in Madrid and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (RCSSD) in London, Paula Rodríguez is an award-winning director, writer, and actor working internationally. She is a member of Spain’s Academia de las Artes Escénicas. Her work focuses on the reinvention of classics through a global and inclusive lens. She has worked at the Bridge Theatre, Young Vic, Orange Tree, Cervantes Theatre, and Chichester Theatre Festival in the UK, as well as with the National Classical Theatre Company (CNTC) and Teatro de la Abadía in Spain. Her productions have travelled to international festivals including the Golden Age Festival of Ciudad Juárez (México), Nuevo Siglo Drama Festival Chamizal, and the Heart of America Festival (USA). Paula is the co-founder of Teatro Inverso, with the award-winning production Rosaura, based on Life is a Dream by Calderón (Walker Raid Prize, AHCT). She is the creator of Project AURIC, presenting bilingual, accessible performances of classical texts fused with live contemporary music, and of Our New Gold, an international digital festival exploring 17th-century Hispanic texts today. Her recent directing credits include Tras ellas (de Celestina a Xirgu) at the Festival Internacional de las Artes Escénicas (Uruguay), Ana por Ana (Barroco a Compás Flamenco) produced by Histrión Teatro and premiered at the Almagro International Classical Theatre Festival, Lysistrata (Uprising) for RCSSD (2025), and Mad for Love for BADA (2023). https://www.paularodriguezact.com/

Schedules permitting, we will be joined by the following faculty and guest artists for the course.

Dr. John Beusterien | Professor of Spanish, Texas Tech University John Beusterien  received a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). His Ph.D. is from the University of Wisconsin (Madison). His research focuses on literature and culture from the Spanish-speaking world, including the work of Miguel de Cervantes; Spanish Golden Age theater; the history of blood and race; and early modern Spanish cultural studies. His research also focuses on the environment and animals; creative writing; and regional and place-based studies. He serves as the managing editor of Cervantes: Bulletin of the Cervantes Society of America.

Alexander Samson | Professor of Early Modern Studies, University College London Alexander Samson is a Reader in Early Modern Studies at University College London. His research interests include the early colonial history of the Americas, Anglo-Spanish intercultural interactions and early modern English and Spanish drama. His book Mary and Philip: the Marriage of Tudor England and Habsburg Spain is out with Manchester University Press. He runs the Golden Age and Renaissance Research Seminar and is director of UCL’s Centre for Early Modern Exchanges and the Centre for Editing Lives and Letters.

	Nuria Alkorta A founding member and the director of the Compañía delabarca, Nuria Alkorta has been professor of Interpretation at the Royal School of Advanced Dramatic Art in Madrid since 1999. She launched her teaching career in 1996 in Harvard’s Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, where she developed courses on the Spanish language, studied through classic dramatic texts. She holds the doctorate in Philology and is author of a dissertation titled From Thought to Performance in the Theater of Calderón. In the U.S. she has directed stagings in English of works by Calderón, Cervantes, Chekov, Brecht, Druas and Mamet. At the A.R.T. she served as directorial assistant to Andrei Serban, Scott Zigler and David Mamet. The Compañía delabarca, founded in 2008, is devoted to the recuperation, study and diffusion of the theater of Pedro Calderón de la Barca, as well as of playwrights attuned to the dramatic art and philosophical concerns of the author of Life Is a Dream. It was conceived, according to its director, as the focal point of a Center dedicated to research, interpretation and stage production of works written by the writer known as the Baroque’s “Monster Wit”.
	Cristina Marín-Miró (Madrid, 1996) is an actress, director, and theatre maker. A graduate in Directing from RESAD, she is a member of the Young National Classical Theatre Company of Spain (JCNTC), where she has performed in La discreta enamorada, El monstruo de los jardines, and Fuenteovejuna, and directed Santa Eugenia and La Alojería (CNTC, 2024). The latter is a collective creation based on texts by Golden Age authors such as Lope de Vega, Agustín Moreto, and María de Zayas, and premiered at the Sala Tirso de Molina. Her work explores theatre as a space for poetic creation, emotional depth, and social reflection. She is co-founder of the company La Nomai, and combines her artistic practice with teaching and research in collective creation and classical texts.
	Juan Ayala is a director, dramaturg, performer and designer based between London and Madrid. He originally trained as an architect before attending the Jacques Lecoq School in Paris and the London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA). His work deftly combines abstraction with complex narrative to create poetic, comic and politically charged work. Specialising in physical theatre, improvisation, devised works and adaptations, his work responds with sensitivity and risk-taking irreverence with the site, space and audience. Over the last 20 years he has been working with companies from across Europe, including Teatro Español, Matadero and Teatro de la Abadía in Madrid, MAC Birmingham, BAC, Greenwich Dance and Jerwood Space in London.

London
Instituto Cervantes is a public institution created by the Spanish government in 1991 to promote the teaching, study and use of Spanish globally and the understanding of Hispanic cultures abroad. Instituto Cervantes is affiliated with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, and it collaborates with prestigious national and international public and private institutions, with the aim of providing high-quality services and products related to the Spanish language and supporting encounters and exchanges between Spanish-speaking cultures and other cultures around the world.

Sevilla

The Texas Tech Sevilla Center, established in 2001, provides students with the opportunity to take Texas Tech University classes taught by TTU faculty in the heart of Spain. The Sevilla Center is supported by both permanent staff and faculty who travel from Lubbock to Sevilla for each semester (fall, spring, and summer).

Housed in a building originally constructed in the 1890s, the center seamlessly blends historical charm with modern amenities, ensuring a comfortable and functional learning environment. Conveniently located in a vibrant neighborhood, it is just steps away from a variety of eateries, shops, and Sevilla’s bustling downtown.

Granada

Histrion Teatro founded by Nines Carrascal and Gema Matarranz, is a name synonymous with contemporary theatre. Its creative path is founded on two key elements: the defence of the text as a structural element that firmly holds the artistic concept and interpretation as a close link between the actors and the audience.

Almagro

Festival International de Teatro Clásico de Almagro, held annually since 1978 in the historic city of the Almagro in Castilla-La Mancha region, has become a must-attend summer event that gathers over 60,000 audience members to celebrate classical theatre. The primary venue of the Festival is the Corral de Comedias de Almagro, the best-preserved example of the Spanish open air courtyard theatres of the 17th century.

The programme will be delivered in English. While Spanish proficiency is not required, the course may be of particular interest to those who speak or are learning Spanish.

We welcome applicants at the undergraduate and graduate level as well as those who are not currently enrolled in educational programmes. Applicants aged 18 must have at least one year’s experience away from home to be considered for this course.

The 2026 Spanish Theatre Program fees are: $8,950 *

Programme fees include all excursions (theatre trips, site visits, museum admission and tours, etc.), air transportation to/from London to Spain, all ground transportation and accommodations while on the course.

* London Accommodations – should you wish to arrange your own accommodation for the London portion of the course, then the reduction in the course fee will be $736. Participants must confirm on acceptance whether they wish to make their own accommodation arrangements or use that arranged by BADA. Due to the high demands for accommodation in London during the summer months, we cannot guarantee that rooms can be made available should a later decision be made to take up the offer of accommodation booked through the course.

All fees are payable in US dollars. Please contact Finance Director Helen Ainsworth at hainsworth@bada.org.uk should you wish to settle the fees in UK Sterling so that an appropriate rate can be agreed.

Please note, in addition to the fees payable to BADA, participants are responsible for:

• Roundtrip Airfare to the UK
• Insurance
• Meals
• Spending money

Spending habits obviously vary widely between participants, but London is an expensive city. We recommend a minimum of £150 ($190) a week for food, laundry and transport if you mostly prepare your own food and use only public transport. Regular coffees, takeaways, meals out or use of cabs can quickly push the cost of subsistence and transport up beyond £200 ($250) per week.

Spanish Theatre Program Refund Policy

A deposit of $500 is required on acceptance, which is non-refundable. Fees are payable by the due dates as outlined in your acceptance letter. Any fees paid will be forfeited should you withdraw from the programme. Participation in the programme will not be permitted if programme fees have not been paid in full before the start date and any fees paid will be forfeited.

If the programme is canceled by BADA due to circumstances beyond our control, all fees, with the exception of the application fee, will be refunded. BADA accepts no responsibility for personally incurred expenses such as flights or pre-booked ground transportation.

Financial Assistance 

Limited awards from the BADA scholarship fund are available to assist accepted applicants in defraying the costs of attending BADA’s summer programmes. These awards are based on need and merit.

Before applying to the program, please note the fees and consider how you will fund the experience should you be accepted.  Only a very small number of applicants accepted to the summer 2026 programs will be chosen to receive scholarship funding from BADA. Awards could be a small as a few hundred dollars. Most accepted applicants will need to provide their own funding.

If you would like to discuss the possibilities of receiving scholarship funding prior to submitting an application, please feel free to contact our Summer Programs Admissions Coordinator, Jennifer Rockwood: jrockwood@bada.org.uk.

Accommodations in London will be shared twin rooms at the Stay Club Camden. Accommodations in Spain will also be in shared twin rooms. All rooms in Oxford are single occupancy.  Further details on accommodation will be sent to you as part of pre-arrival materials.

BADA is not an accredited US institution; we are unable to provide academic credit for the course.

With its intensive workload, 94 contact hours and 86 further unsupervised work hours, this programme has a suggested credit equivalency of two 3 credit courses, in line with other programs BADA runs. You will finish the programme with a portfolio of work, and the course director can provide a written assessment for your home institution.

94 hours of contact time

Classroom time in London – 19 hours
Acting classes in London – 16 hours
London masterclasses – 4 hours
Trip to Museums – 3 hours

Spain classroom time – 14 hours
Spain acting class time – 22 hours
Spain – 2 masterclasses – 4 hours
Spain – guided tours including: Alhambra, Plaza de España and Almagro – 12 hours

86 hours of unsupervised work

London – 1 theatre trip – 3 hours
Spain – 3 theatre shows – 9 hours
Report on each theatre show we see – 4 x 2 = 8 hours
APGRD access time – 10 hours
Performance writing/prep – 40 hours
2 papers x 8 hours – 16 hours