For ten days, the country will host performances, workshops, and professional meetings from across the region in a new international platform dedicated to Ibero-American theater.
San José, Costa Rica – March 10, 2026. From April 10 to 19, 2026, San José will host the Festival Iberoamérica Teatral Costa Rica (FITCR), a new international festival created by the Ministry of Culture and Youth, dedicated to celebrating and strengthening Ibero-American theater while also encouraging reflection on Costa Rican stage productions.
The FITCR will bring together international and Costa Rican theater companies, artists, cultural managers, and audiences from different countries with the aim of promoting artistic exchange, the circulation of theatrical productions, and dialogue among creators from across Ibero-America.
Promoted by the Ministry of Culture and Youth, the project will feature 12 international theater companies and 12 Costa Rican companies, positioning Costa Rica as a meeting point for the performing arts in the region during ten days of programming across various theaters in the capital city. The festival was also created by decree, ensuring its annual realization as a permanent platform for the development of Ibero-American theater.
The first edition of FITCR is dedicated to the late Chilean-Costa Rican theater master Lucho Barahona, in a posthumous tribute to his career and his valuable contribution to the development of the performing arts in Costa Rica.
With this spirit of honoring the history of national theater while projecting it toward new stages, FITCR is conceived as a cultural platform that combines artistic programming, professional training, and spaces for international cooperation.
According to Jorge Rodríguez Vives, Minister of Culture and Youth, the festival opens spaces that allow Costa Rican audiences to discover new voices, aesthetics, and ideas circulating on Ibero-American stages.
He noted that reconnecting with this artistic expression, which has always been present on Costa Rican stages, is essential. Costa Rica has a long theatrical tradition, and the moment has come to create spaces that allow deeper reflection on this art form.
Rodríguez also highlighted the revival of the National Theater Company of Costa Rica, one of the country’s most important cultural programs. After a period of decline, the company is now expanding its activity, moving from one production per year to four productions planned for 2026. Two of these productions will premiere during the FITCR, and another will tour the country as part of the RIDE Cultural strategy, reinforcing the company’s national presence.
Meanwhile, Laura Santamaría, director of the company, explained that the selection process received more than 730 submissions, and that the festival’s program reflects a curatorial effort seeking a balance between aesthetic diversity, audience reach, artistic quality, and cultural relevance.
She emphasized that the selected productions engage with contemporary issues while also reflecting the richness and diversity of Ibero-American theater.
Santamaría also highlighted the importance of the festival’s educational component, which expands the impact of the event beyond the stage. Through workshops, professional meetings, and dialogue spaces, artists, students, and cultural managers will have the opportunity to exchange knowledge with creators from different countries and strengthen their professional development.
The festival will take place across a network of cultural venues in San José, including the Teatro Popular Melico Salazar, Teatro de la Aduana Alberto Cañas, Teatro 1887, the National Theater Workshop, Teatro de la Danza, the National Theatre of Costa Rica, Teatro La Villa, and the Gómez Miralles Hall at the Costa Rica Film Center. This network of venues will allow the festival to integrate into the capital’s cultural circuit and broaden public access to its programming.
Regarding ticketing, general admission for theater performances will be ₡8000, while students, senior citizens, and beneficiaries of the BRETE program will have access to a reduced ticket price of ₡4000. IMAS beneficiaries will receive free admission as part of the festival’s cultural inclusion policy.
Tickets will be available at the Teatro Popular Melico Salazar box office. Special promotions will also be offered, including 2-for-1 performances and a “Theater Weekend” package for ₡12,000, allowing audiences to attend one performance per day from Friday to Sunday.
Workshops and training activities will be free of charge, although prior registration will be required due to limited capacity.
With this first edition, FITCR opens a new space for exchange among artists, audiences, and cultural institutions across the Ibero-American world, reinforcing Costa Rica’s role as an active stage for theatrical dialogue and circulation in the region.
