Conversation with Irene Escolar

In this live podcast crossover, Charlas Adictivas and Locura Compartida speak with actress Irene Escolar, drawing on the play People, Places & Things, which has enjoyed major success this season at the Teatro Español. The event explores addiction, escape, identity, and personal reconstruction, opening up a conversation about the desire to disappear and the fragile possibility of becoming present again.

The discussion begins with the play People, Places & Things, approaching addiction not only as an individual experience but also in its family, social, and cultural dimensions.

Throughout the dialogue, Irene Escolar will reflect on the creative process behind the text and its adaptation by Pablo Messiez, the acting preparation required to embody an extreme experience, the dynamics of group therapy and mechanisms such as lying, and the emotional impact these processes have on those closest to us.

The conversation will also widen its focus to the current cultural and social context, considering why a work that addresses fragility, pain, and relapse so directly has resonated so strongly with audiences, and examining the role of culture as a space for visibility, collective awareness, and shared reflection in a society increasingly marked by emotional distress.

Irene Escolar

Irene Escolar (Madrid, 1988) has appeared in 23 films and 29 theatre productions, working with some of the most prominent directors in Spanish and European theatre and cinema. Her first leading film role, in An Autumn Without Berlin, earned her a Special Mention for the Irizar Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival and the Goya Award for Best New Actress.

After appearing in Official Competition (2021), directed by Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn and starring Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas, she joined the cast of Jonás Trueba’s You Have to Come and See It (2021) and The Girls Are Alright (2022), directed by Itsaso Arana and selected for the Official Competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Other films in her career include The Seventh Day (Carlos Saura, 2003), The Blind Sunflowers (José Luis Cuerda, 2007), and Under the Skin of the Wolf (Samu Fuentes, 2017).

Among her notable projects is Escenario 0, in which she serves, alongside Bárbara Lennie, as performer, creator, and executive producer, and the series Tell Me Who I Am, in which she plays the lead role. The series premiered in 2020 at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.

In 2024 she premiered the stage production Finlandia, directed by renowned French theatre director Pascal Rambert, the series Largas Sombras, directed by Clara Roquet for Disney+, and the series Abogadas, in which she portrays Manuela Carmena.

In 2025 she premiered the series La Ruta VII: Ibiza, playing two characters, the film Ariel, directed by Lois Patiño, and the play People, Places & Things, directed by Pablo Messiez, to strong critical and audience acclaim.

In addition to the Goya Award, her recognitions include the Community of Madrid Culture Award, the Ojo Crítico Award from Spanish National Radio, the Fotogramas Award, the Medal from the Circle of Cinematographic Writers, and the ACE Award from the New York Critics Association for her portrayal of Joan the Mad, among many others. She has also been nominated three times for the Valle-Inclán Theatre Awards, twice for the Max Awards, as well as for the Feroz and Forqué Awards.

Noemí Oliva

A multidisciplinary cultural manager and psychologist, she has extensive experience designing, coordinating, and directing cultural projects. She has worked as Exhibitions Coordinator at Instituto Cervantes in Spain, Cultural Manager at Instituto Cervantes centers in Sweden and Brazil, International Coordinator at the Anita Schwartz Gallery, and Deputy Director of Club Matador. She is currently Art Coordinator at Club Matador, a member of the Artistic Committee of Fundación [H]Arte, a lecturer in the Master’s Degree in Cultural Project Management at La Fábrica, and host of the podcast Locura Compartida.

Ruy Arroyo

A recovering addict, founder and director of Charlas Adictivas Terapéuticas, Charlas Adictivas Podcast (multichannel), and the video podcast production studio Piquito Studio. He is an addiction counselor, speaker, and father of two wonderful children.

Organized by: Casa del Lector

Participants: Irene Escolar, Charlas Adictivas, and Locura Compartida

Audience: Young people and adults