Francisco Asenjo Barbieri’s zarzuela Jugar con fuego has returned to the Teatro de la Zarzuela in a new production by the INAEM. Proasur was responsible for the construction and assembly of the set for this production, with stage direction by Marina Bollaín and set design by Blanca Añón. The opera was performed over fourteen performances between 25 March and 12 April 2026, with musical direction by Álvaro Albiach.

The set design for Jugar con Fuego: a rotating structure

Blanca Añón’s design relocated the action of the play to a contemporary football stadium, which presented a key technical challenge: a functional staircase capable of supporting the weight of the entire chorus – around forty people on stage at the same time. Proasur also developed a mechanism whereby the staircase and the central wall pivot as a single unit around a fixed point, with a fluid movement that allows the stage space to be reconfigured between the three acts without interrupting the performance.

Precision materials and finishes

The structure was built using aluminium and steel profiles, with plywood panels as the working surface. The display cabinets incorporate integrated LED lighting strips, whilst the central sofa was upholstered with fire-retardant fabrics, as were the rest of the curtains. The decorative details were produced using 3D printing with PLA filament and a faux chrome finish, and all exposed joinery was protected with fire-retardant acrylic paints, in accordance with the safety regulations required for a theatre of this scale.

Pre-assembly and installation in record time

Working to a very tight schedule and budget, the Proasur team carried out pre-assembly of almost all the components in the workshop before they were transported to the Teatro de la Zarzuela, thereby reducing the time required for final assembly on stage. The rotating mechanism operated without incident throughout the fourteen performances, from start to finish, meeting the project’s demanding deadlines.

© Elena del Real / Teatro de la Zarzuela