Joan Arqué and Pol Gil, new artistic and executive directors of Mostra Igualada

Unicoop Cultural wins the contract for the comprehensive management of Mostra Igualada

Actor and stage director Joan Arqué will be the seventh artistic director, taking over from Ramon Giné.

Pol Gil Marimon will lead the executive direction after eight years connected to the Mostra.

The 37th performing arts market for children and young audiences will be held from April 16th to the 19th, 2026.

The City Council of Igualada, in agreement with the Catalan Institute for Cultural Companies (ICEC), has awarded the management of Mostra Igualada to the Igualada-based entity Unicoop Cultural through a public tender, for a period lasting until 2027, extendable annually for up to two more editions.

The selected project was evaluated by a technical committee composed of representatives from public administrations and professionals from the performing arts sector.

The new team, which will bring together the different areas and teams of the fair within a single project, will be led by Pol Gil Marimon as executive director and Joan Arqué as artistic director, succeeding the previous leadership under Ramon Giné, in place since 2019.

The artistic direction is responsible for the festival’s artistic programming, which must align with the strategic role of Mostra Igualada as a platform and marketplace for performances for all audiences. It also serves as a benchmark for artistic quality and contemporary relevance in Catalonia, the rest of Spain, and internationally.

Joan Arqué Solà (Badalona, 1974) will be the seventh artistic director in the history of the fair. He holds a degree in Directing and Dramaturgy from the Institut del Teatre, and has also trained as a performer at the Collegi del Teatre in Barcelona. He has also completed specialized courses at institutions such as Teatro de la Abada (Madrid), the Institut del Teatre itself, and the Circus Dramaturgy program. Arqué has been the artistic director of the Teatre de l’Aurora since 2014. In the field of stage direction, he has led productions such as Sí Sí Sí (Teatre de l’Aurora), Tirant lo Blanc (Teatre Romea, Teatro de la Comedia in Madrid, Teatre Principal in Palma, and Canal de Salt, 2024–2025), and Moriu-vos (TNC, Temporada Alta, Teatre de l’Aurora, Cultura i Conflicte, 2022). He also directed Canto jo i la muntanya balla (Biblioteca de Catalunya, 2020/2021), which received several awards including the Butaca Awards for Best Direction and Best Stage Production, and the Max Award for Best Direction. Other productions he has worked on include Per què balla en Jan Petit? (Fira Mediterrània, 2021), Encara hi ha algú al bosc (TNC, Temporada Alta, 2020/21), Estat d’Emergència (National Circus Plan, Grec Festival, 2020), L’amic retrobat (Teatre de l’Aurora, TNC, 2019), and Qui ets?, by Màrius Serra (Velvet Events, 2019), among others.

Pol Gil Marimon (Barcelona, 1990) holds a Master’s degree in Cultural Management from the University of Barcelona. He has served as deputy executive director of Mostra Igualada from 2017 to 2025 and is currently in charge of managing the Teatre de l’Aurora, also in Igualada. He was technical coordinator of the Official Master's in Cultural Management at UB (2014–2017) and was part of the team at the company La Petita Malumaluga, taking on management roles (2015–2018). He regularly collaborates with the UB Cultural Management Program. Additionally, he is a board member of COFAE, the Cercle de Cultura, and Unicoop Cultural SCCL.

Mostra Igualada – Performing Arts Market for Children and Young Audiences
Mostra Igualada is the leading performing arts market for all audiences in Catalonia. It's a major showcase of the best performances for children and young audiences, drawing thousands of spectators to the capital of the Anoia region. Its goals are to support family programming across the country and promote the internationalization of the participating companies. Recognized as a Strategic Market of Catalonia, it is organized by the City Council of Igualada and the Catalan Institute for Cultural Companies (ICEC) of the Government of Catalonia. The 37th edition of Mostra Igualada will take place from April 16 to 19, 2026.