The Alfil Theatre is a Yllana project.
In the summer of 1996, the Yllana company, through the company Producciones La Tapadera, began to manage the Alfil Theatre, one of the most emblematic spaces in the city of Madrid. Creating an alternative programme to what was available at that time in the theatre, and especially in the theatre scene of the city, was one of the company’s greatest aspirations.
Since 1993, the Yllana company produced the Madrid International Comedy Theatre Festival (FIHUM) at the Alfil Theatre (with the support of the Community of Madrid). This festival aimed to bring international shows to the capital. The response of the public, the support of the institutions and the conviction of the need for a space in the capital dedicated to comedy and humour, encouraged them to take the leap and manage and programme the theatre exclusively.
The FIHUM had 11 editions, which included artists of the stature of Gila, Toni Albá, Leo Bassi, Pepolykus, Les Founambules, Pepa Plana, Pepe Rubianes, The Right Size, The Umbilical Brothers, The Poubelles boys, Meridional Teatro, Chapertons, Joseph Collard, Avner The Excentric, Pez en Raya, Elliot or El Brujo.
With this magnificent experience, added to their career as a company, they strengthened the artistic line of their work, creating an annual programme characterised by the genre of comedy and humour, welcoming a great diversity of artists with works that stood out for their mastery of the genre, for their critical commitment to society, for their commitment to freedom of expression and freedom of thought, as well as assuming the commitment to include new and young artists, and creators from minority and disadvantaged groups.
Two important moments in our career should be noted: On the one hand, the staunch defence of satire. The programming of the show “La Revelación” by Leo Bassi, put us in the crosshairs of fanaticism and intolerance, suffering the consequences of an attack. Due to our staunch defense of freedom of expression and freedom of thought, we received the support of broad sectors of society, as well as the general public. Even today we continue in this effort to defend freedom of expression, one of the basic and fundamental rights of our society.
On the other hand, the purchase of the theater in 2006 by the Yllana company, committing itself even more to the continuity and consolidation of a space dedicated to the performing arts. A space open to culture, artistic freedom, creators, authors, and committed to contributing, to the extent of our possibilities, to making Madrid an open, diverse, free and supportive city.
The best companies and artists, both national and international, have performed on the stage of the Alfil theater. Many of them took their first steps on our stage, or the Alfil theater was their first showcase in Madrid. It is worth highlighting Animalario, Ron Lalá, Imprebis, Alex O’Dogherty, Sexpeare, Ana Morgade, Carmen Ruiz, Cristina Medina, Antonia San Juan, Albert Plá, Pez en Raya, Impromadrid, Chirigóticas, Karra Elejalde, Nancho Novo, as well as all those mentioned above who have been in the different editions of the International Festival of Comedy Theatre.
For many years it was a reference theatre with unforgettable titles such as Trainspotting, The Best Sketches of Monty Python, Imprebis, Brokers, 666, Hidden Instincts, The Gagfather, Climax, The Primitals.
The loyalty of our public led us to create a members’ club in 2001 that allowed spectators to see all our works for a modest price, as well as other advantages related to programming. The creation of this club led us to create synergies with other companies and other theatres, which provided our spectators with a more open and accessible offer of culture and theatre.
In 2005, the IGI International Gag Institute was created. A school with a vocation to work on comedy in its different disciplines such as film, scriptwriting, theatre, television, and which had both national and international teachers such as Imprebis, Leo Bassi, Avner and the Yllana company itself. The Institute was open until 2009. It gave rise to a group of actors who are still linked to the Yllana company today.
The Teatro Alfil has always had the vocation of supporting creators and doing its bit in the Madrid artistic scene.
If you want to know the current programming of our space click here.
