Teatre Victòria
A historic theatre on Barcelona’s Paral·lel avenue known for Catalan-language productions, musicals, comedy, magic and other live performances.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Teatre Victòria is a historic performing-arts venue in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Located on the city’s Paral·lel theatre corridor, it has operated as a popular theatre since its inauguration on 22 April 1905. The building was designed by architect Andreu Audet i Puig and opened under the name Pabellòn Sorianno after a period in which the pavilion was repeatedly demolished and rebuilt as part of improvements made between 1900 and 1905. The venue’s identity has been shaped by Barcelona’s commercial and popular theatre culture. During the early twentieth century it presented theatrical and musical works, including La canción del olvido by José Serrano and L’auca del senyor Esteve, which were staged there in 1917. Over time, the theatre became part of the broader cultural ecosystem of Paral·lel, an avenue historically associated with variety entertainment, theatre, music and mass-audience shows. A major phase in the venue’s modern history began under the Balaguer family. In 1980, Jaime Balaguer retired and his sons Jordi and Ricardo Balaguer assumed responsibility for the theatre. In 1986, the theatre entered into a 20-year rental arrangement with Tres per Tres, a production and management company formed by the theatre groups Tricicle and Dagoll Dagom together with Anexa. This arrangement helped establish the venue as an important home for contemporary Catalan productions and large-scale popular entertainment. Tres per Tres ultimately purchased the theatre on 22 January 2002, ending the Balaguer family’s direct era of ownership. The theatre has also faced the financial and institutional pressures common to cultural venues. During the 1980s, reporting cited concerns about limited support from Barcelona’s municipal authorities and the Generalitat, while the theatre struggled to sustain productions considered artistically ambitious. Nevertheless, it continued to host premieres and high-profile events. The 1984 production 1.000 años de jazz received positive critical attention and was attended by Jordi Pujol, then president of the Generalitat of Catalonia. In the twenty-first century, Teatre Victòria maintained a broad programming profile. The musical Scaramouche premiered there in 2016, and a Catalan production of Spring Awakening, titled El despertar de la primavera, was presented in 2019 and received positive commentary. In June 2019, magician and performer Antonio Díaz, known as El Mago Pop, acquired the theatre from Tres per Tres. His ownership linked the venue more closely to a major contemporary magic and theatrical entertainment brand. His production Nada es imposible became the theatre’s signature pandemic-era attraction. Although the COVID-19 crisis reduced audience attendance across the sector, the show was reported as one of the most watched theatrical productions internationally during that period. Teatre Victòria remains an active Barcelona venue whose programming combines theatre, musical theatre, comedy, magic and special events. Its long history reflects the evolution of Paral·lel from an early twentieth-century entertainment district into a modern cultural destination, while its successive management eras demonstrate the importance of private producers and prominent artistic operators in maintaining major metropolitan theatres.
History
Teatre Victòria is one of Barcelona’s long-established theatres and forms part of the historic entertainment landscape of the Paral·lel district. The venue was designed by Andreu Audet i Puig and inaugurated on 22 April 1905 as the Pabellòn Sorianno theatre. Its origins lie in a pavilion that was demolished and rebuilt several times between 1900 and 1905 during a process of improvement and redevelopment. The theatre’s location placed it within an area increasingly associated with popular theatre, music, variety entertainment and other mass-audience forms. The venue’s early repertoire included both musical and dramatic works. On 12 May 1917 it presented La canción del olvido, a work by composer José Serrano, and L’auca del senyor Esteve. These productions illustrate the theatre’s role in the cultural life of Barcelona during a period when theatres along Paral·lel served both local audiences and visitors seeking popular entertainment. A later phase began with the Balaguer family. Jaime Balaguer retired in 1980, after which his sons Jordi and Ricardo took over the theatre. The venue experienced difficulties in maintaining ambitious programming, and contemporary reporting in the 1980s referred to a lack of financial assistance from Barcelona’s city government and the Generalitat. The theatre nevertheless continued to stage notable work. On 8 March 1984, 1.000 años de jazz premiered at Teatre Victòria. The production was attended by Jordi Pujol, president of the Generalitat, and received a favourable critical response. In 1986, Tres per Tres entered the theatre through a 20-year rental agreement. The company was formed by the theatre groups Tricicle and Dagoll Dagom, together with Anexa. Its involvement gave the venue a stronger connection to contemporary Catalan theatre and producer-led programming. Tres per Tres later purchased the theatre on 22 January 2002, formally bringing the Balaguer period to an end. During the twenty-first century, Teatre Victòria continued to operate as a multi-purpose commercial theatre. Its programme included the premiere of the musical Scaramouche in 2016 and a Catalan-language production of Spring Awakening, El despertar de la primavera, in 2019. In June of that year, Antonio Díaz, the illusionist and performer known as El Mago Pop, bought the venue from Tres per Tres. The acquisition connected the theatre’s future programming with Díaz’s own stage productions, especially the magic show Nada es imposible. The COVID-19 pandemic caused audience losses for the theatre, as it did for live-performance venues generally. Even so, Nada es imposible became a major attraction during the period and was reported in reference material as the most watched show in the world during the pandemic. The venue has subsequently continued to host theatre, musical theatre, comedy, magic and special events. Its history combines the continuity of a historic Barcelona building with successive changes in ownership, management and programming strategy.
- 2020
Nada es imposible during the pandemic
[1]The theatre presented Nada es imposible during the COVID-19 period, when the production became its most prominent attraction.
- 2019
Antonio Díaz acquired the theatre
[1]El Mago Pop acquired the venue from Tres per Tres in June.
- 2016
Scaramouche premiered
[1]The musical Scaramouche premiered at Teatre Victòria.
- 2002
Tres per Tres purchased the venue
[1]Tres per Tres bought Teatre Victòria on 22 January, ending the Balaguer ownership era.
- 1986
Tres per Tres began its tenancy
[1]Tres per Tres, associated with Tricicle, Dagoll Dagom and Anexa, took the theatre under a 20-year rental agreement.
- 1984
Premiere of 1.000 años de jazz
[1]The production premiered on 8 March and received positive critical attention.
- 1980
Balaguer family succession
[1]Jaime Balaguer retired and his sons Jordi and Ricardo assumed responsibility for the theatre.
- 1917
Early twentieth-century productions
[1]La canción del olvido and L’auca del senyor Esteve were presented at the theatre on 12 May 1917.
- 1905
Inauguration as Pabellòn Sorianno
[1]The theatre designed by Andreu Audet i Puig opened on 22 April 1905 under the name Pabellòn Sorianno.
Products and positioning
A historic, popular-theatre venue in Barcelona’s Paral·lel district, positioned around accessible live entertainment and major Catalan and Spanish productions, with particular visibility for musicals, comedy and magic.
Theatre venue · 1905
Live theatre programme
Teatre Victòria presents a changing programme of live performances in Barcelona, including theatrical works, popular entertainment and special events. Its programming has historically included both Catalan and Spanish productions and reflects the broad audience orientation associated with the Paral·lel district.
Musical theatre · 2016
Scaramouche
Scaramouche is a musical that premiered at Teatre Victòria in 2016. Its inclusion in the venue’s history represents the theatre’s continuing role as a platform for substantial musical-theatre productions.
Musical theatre · 2019
El despertar de la primavera
The Catalan production of Spring Awakening was presented at the theatre in 2019. It demonstrated the venue’s support for Catalan-language adaptations and contemporary musical theatre.
Magic and illusion show · 2020
Nada es imposible
Nada es imposible is the signature magic production associated with Antonio Díaz, or El Mago Pop. It became the theatre’s most prominent offering during the COVID-19 period and helped maintain the venue’s visibility when live entertainment attendance declined.
Marketing campaigns
- 2026Polonia twentieth-anniversary gala
Catalonia · Spain
The team behind the Catalan comedy sketch programme Polonia held its twentieth-anniversary gala at Teatre Victòria, incorporating guest appearances and a subsequent television broadcast.
Outcome. The gala was recorded and later broadcast by TV3.
- 2020Nada es imposible pandemic-era presentation
Spain
The venue promoted and hosted El Mago Pop’s Nada es imposible during the COVID-19 pandemic, positioning a large-scale magic production as a prominent live-entertainment offering during a period of severe audience disruption.
Outcome. The show was reported as the most watched show in the world during the pandemic, although no attendance or revenue figures are specified in the reference material.
Brand decisions
2019
Antonio Díaz acquired the theatreM&ABackground
Tres per Tres had owned and managed the theatre since its 1986 operating arrangement.
Action taken
Antonio Díaz, the illusionist known as El Mago Pop, purchased Teatre Victòria in June 2019.
Aftermath
The venue became closely associated with Díaz’s magic productions, including Nada es imposible.
2002
Tres per Tres purchased Teatre VictòriaM&ABackground
After operating the venue under a long-term rental agreement, Tres per Tres acquired the theatre outright.
Action taken
The company completed the purchase on 22 January 2002.
Aftermath
The transaction ended the Balaguer family’s ownership period and established Tres per Tres as the venue’s owner.
1986
Adopted a producer-led operating arrangement with Tres per TresStrategyBackground
The theatre required a stable operating and programming structure during a period of financial and institutional pressure.
Action taken
Tres per Tres, formed by Tricicle, Dagoll Dagom and Anexa, entered a 20-year rental agreement and took responsibility for the venue’s programming and management.
Aftermath
The arrangement became the foundation for Tres per Tres’s later purchase of the theatre in 2002.
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