Alcuéscar joins the Theater Network and Olivenza withdraws

The Alcuéscar City Council has been admitted into the Network of theaters and other performing arts spaces of Extremadura with its “Casa de la Cultura” space, while the Olivenza City Council is declared to have withdrawn its application for incorporation. This is resolved by the Resolution of October 30, 2026, from the Councilor for Culture, Tourism and Sports, Laureano León Rodríguez, published in the Official Gazette of Extremadura no. 215, of November 9, 2026, section I (official reference 2026062804).

The decision is adopted under Decree 152/2024, of December 12, which regulates the Network and establishes the regulatory bases for grants for performing arts and music programming, published in the DOE no. 7, of January 13, 2025. Article 6 allows all Extremaduran municipalities that have performing arts spaces under ownership, lease, or transfer of use and meet the requirements of Article 9 to join, while Article 7 establishes that the submission of applications is open and permanent indefinitely.

Two applications and a single favorable report

The two city councils applied with the same type of facility, the “Casa de la Cultura” of each locality:

• Olivenza City Council: application registered on June 15, 2026.
• Alcuéscar City Council: application registered on June 19, 2026.

Having examined the requirements regarding the performing arts space, human resources, and economic resources, the Technical-Artistic and Monitoring Commission met on September 21, 2026, in accordance with article 4.2.a) of the aforementioned decree. It issued a favorable report only regarding the space proposed by Alcuéscar.

Olivenza, withdrawn due to lack of documentation

The collegiate body considered the Olivenza City Council to have withdrawn its application for failing to provide all the mandatory documentation following the request for correction made for that purpose. The resolution records this withdrawal as the second ruling, referring expressly to the “Casa de la Cultura” space of the town of Olivenza.

Deadlines, jurisdiction, and appeals

The jurisdiction to resolve corresponds to the Councilor for Culture, Tourism and Sports according to article 11.1 of Decree 152/2024, and article 11.2 sets a maximum period of three months to resolve and notify from the registration of the application. The resolution, final in the administrative route, includes:

• Optional appeal for reversal before the councilor within one month from the day following notification.
• Contentious-administrative appeal before the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Extremadura within two months.

The General Secretariat of Culture appears as the proposing body of a resolution that orders the notification of interested entities and the publication of the text in the Official Gazette of Extremadura.

Budgetary framework for performing arts programming

Adhesion to the Network is the gateway to grants for performing arts and music programming for the 2026 financial year. The call, published on January 5, 2026 (DOE no. 2) and modified on September 22, 2026 (DOE no. 183, reference 2026062362), has 1,600,000 euros available, divided into 1,085,633.99 euros for the first procedure and 514,366.01 euros for the second. The maximum annual grant amount is 80,000 euros per applicant and up to 12 performances, covering 70% of the fee for Extremaduran companies and 50% for non-Extremaduran companies.

In the second procedure, which has already been resolved, 513,642.60 euros were granted to the municipalities in Annex II, according to the Resolution of September 28, 2026 of the General Secretariat of Culture (DOE no. 200, of October 16, 2026, reference 2026062570), subsequently corrected in DOE no. 214, of November 6, 2026 (reference 2026062810).

The registration of Alcuéscar expands the map of performing arts spaces adhered to a network that channels virtually all subsidized professional programming in Extremaduran municipalities, and enables that city council to apply for the Department’s grant lines. For Olivenza, on the other hand, the withdrawal necessitates restarting the process if the council wishes to opt for those subsidies, given that the application remains open indefinitely but requires complete documentation.

Source: Official Gazette of Extremadura, no. 215, November 9, 2026, section I (official reference: 2026062804).