How we celebrate the end of each season with a staff party

Closing a season at Figueres a Escena means bringing together the people behind many different kinds of stories. At Teatre El Jardí and Sala La Cate, our programme spans theatre, music, dance, cinema, opera, circus and children’s shows, while ATEB keeps training active for children, young people and adults. A staff party gives this creative network one shared moment to breathe, catch up and say thanks.

The end-of-season staff party is personal rather than extravagant: good food, a welcoming room, music chosen by the team and enough time for conversation. It also marks a practical handover to the next programme, when schedules are tight, colleagues are tired and the value of working together is easiest to recognise.

A shared thank-you for the whole season

Our guest list begins with everyone who has held the season together: venue managers, producers, box-office teams, technicians, teachers, front-of-house staff and programmers. We also welcome freelance performers, workshop leaders and trusted local collaborators, because a season’s success belongs to more than the people on the permanent payroll.

We keep any formal recognition short. Instead of presenting a long series of awards, we invite a few colleagues to share a memorable moment, a difficult problem solved together or a story from the rehearsal room. The emphasis stays on the contribution rather than the hierarchy.

We also recognise work that often goes unseen. Selling subscriptions, welcoming families at a matinee, adapting a workshop for a busy class, checking a lighting cue late after a performance: these details shape what audiences experience. Ending the season together lets us name that effort directly.

A gathering shaped by Figueres

At Teatre El Jardí, a familiar stage becomes the backdrop for the evening. Sala La Cate contributes its own character through the conversations, rehearsals and community activities that happen there all year. We use the spaces as they naturally serve the team, rather than trying to make either venue perform a role it does not have.

Figueres gives the party a distinctly local welcome. Regional food and drink anchor the table, and the long communal meal feels as natural here as the public celebrations that fill the city during its annual festival season. The celebration belongs to the people who work in the theatres and to the community that gathers around them.

For Australian readers, the calendar offers a useful change of perspective: December and January bring high summer and long evenings in Australia, while Figueres is settling into winter. We make the most of the cooler season indoors, where the theatre’s warmth becomes part of the hospitality, and invite guests to linger as the light fades earlier.

Food, music and an Australian welcome

Food is one of the easiest ways to make a gathering feel generous. Our table follows a relaxed barbecue style, a format Australian guests will recognise from the familiar barbie: food cooking, people hovering nearby and someone trusted with more sauce than anyone planned for. Sharing several dishes around the table also suits the communal spirit of Catalan celebrations.

We label every dish and make vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices available. Allergies can be discussed when guests reply, without anyone having to explain their needs in front of the room. Alcohol-free drinks are just as easy to find as other refreshments, and nobody has to make a choice at the door before they know what is available.

Guests arriving from Australia may expect the easy rhythm of a pub gathering, where bringing your own drinks is familiar in some states but subject to different licensing rules elsewhere. We check the rules for our Catalan venue before mentioning any bring-your-own arrangement and explain the details clearly. The atmosphere is deliberately informal: a no-worries welcome, no pressure to perform as an extrovert and no expectation that anyone stays until the final song.

Music comes from a playlist built by the team, with a few songs to mark the occasion and plenty of room for conversation between them. Sometimes a colleague volunteers to play live. Whatever the soundtrack, it should feel collective rather than imposed.

Big-screen stories and creative conversations

Some evenings begin with a short film sequence assembled from the season. The reel might bring together a dance excerpt, a music act, a moment from a family show and a short cinematic work. It gives everyone a shared focal point without turning the party into a formal awards ceremony.

Cinema has a strong place in Australian cultural life, where specialist festivals and neighbourhood cinemas create lively communities from Melbourne to Sydney and Brisbane. The independent work presented by AFDAH Movies 2 shows another side of that scene, where film becomes a meeting point for fresh perspectives and underrepresented stories. Our own screenings may explore different subjects, but the pleasure of discovering a filmmaker remains a familiar connection.

Making the reel is itself a team ritual. Front-of-house colleagues suggest audience favourites, technical staff find clips that look and sound their best, and ATEB colleagues contribute moments from work with younger performers where permission has been given. The result feels affectionate rather than promotional, a reminder of why we make live events in the first place.

Making the celebration easy to join

A thoughtful invitation removes uncertainty before the party begins. We send one clear message with the start time, venue, RSVP route, access information and a named contact. Guests can tell us about access needs or dietary requirements in a low-pressure way, and we share practical information about entrances, seating and local transport options before anyone travels. People are also welcome to arrive late or leave early.

Our dates take account of local holidays and the seasonal break. Australian readers will recognise how Christmas, New Year and the January school holidays alter ordinary work and family schedules; here, those seasonal pressures arrive in a different order. The early invitation gives colleagues and guests room to plan around leave, travel and caring responsibilities.

The practical choices behind the evening make a direct difference:

• Set the date early and check it against public holidays, school breaks and major performance deadlines.
• Send one clear invitation covering the start time, venue, RSVP route, access information and a named contact.
• Ask about dietary requirements and access needs without demanding personal explanations.
• Provide a warm welcome point, a quiet corner and a clear end time so arrivals, breaks and early departures are easy.

Afterwards, we share photographs taken with permission, a round-up of audience responses and the first dates for the next season. That follow-through turns a party into a genuine handover, keeping the team connected once the decorations and shared plates have been cleared away.

Celebrate the next season with us

The best measure of the evening is simple: people leave feeling that their contribution mattered and that they know where they fit within the organisation. A shared meal and an unhurried conversation can do more for that sense of belonging than a long formal programme, especially after a season spent balancing rehearsals, performances, classes and audience care.

The same network welcomes new faces. Whether you are an audience member, an artist, a parent interested in ATEB, a former colleague or a potential collaborator, there is a place to begin. Find out what is coming next through Figueres a Escena, attend a performance or enquire about a course.

Come along, share the stories that matter and help us carry the energy of one season into the next. See you at the next performance.