Ibiza-born playwright Carme Planells has received the audience award at the 2026 Teatre de Butxaca festival in Ciutadella, sharing the prize with the play Zu verkaufen by Mallorcan writer Xisco Joan.

The result marked the first time in the festival's 14-year history that its audience award was shared between two productions. The winners were selected through the public vote at the small-format theatre festival held in Ciutadella over the weekend.

Amb les mans plenes de paraules

Planells won for Amb les mans plenes de paraules, a theatrical work centred on the life of Cèlia Viñas, the poet and teacher who arrived in Almería as a young secondary-school professor during the 1940s.

The play explores Viñas' life, her passion for literature and her modern outlook in a Spain marked by the Franco dictatorship.

The Ciutadella production was directed by Salvador Oliva, who also performed one of the two principal roles alongside Alba Flor.

The work had previously been presented in Binissalem in May 2026 as part of a theatre-and-literature programme at the Casa Llorenç Villalonga. That production was also directed by Oliva and featured Flor and Oliva as performers.

Shared With Zu verkaufen

The second audience winner was Zu verkaufen, written by Xisco Joan and directed by Pedro Orell, with Pedro Mas and Aina Jagla in the cast.

The production was presented at the Casino 17 de Gener in Ciutadella. According to its synopsis, the play tells the story of unusual events that took place in a bar in Bunyola in January 2024. The festival describes it as a satirical comedy addressing German colonialism in Mallorca.

The two productions have very different subjects and styles, making the shared result particularly notable for the festival.

Strong Public Response

The 2026 edition of Teatre de Butxaca also recorded a strong response from audiences.

Around 2,800 tickets were sold during the festival, with organisers describing the edition as sold out. Across its two days, the programme presented 11 productions, including one aimed at children, with 57 performances and 22 actors.

The festival is organised by Ciutadella Antiga, building on the original initiative of Ciutadella Vella.

Another Recognition for Carme Planells

The Ciutadella award adds to Planells' established career in theatre.

The playwright, originally from Ibiza, has written numerous theatre works and has received recognition for both theatre and literary writing. Her previous work includes Billy Wilder, Som rosa, i què?, Parells o senars? and Planeta B/N.

She was also part of the writing team behind Llum trencada, which received the Ciutat de Palma Arts and Stage Arts award in 2018.

In 2026, Planells' work has received further recognition for Enlloc, a documentary-style theatre project examining the social conflict surrounding the construction of Ibiza's major roads in the mid-2000s. The work received an Institut d'Estudis Baleàrics creation grant and subsequently won the Premi La Carrova de Teatre in Amposta.

A Shared Audience Recognition

For Planells, the Teatre de Butxaca result brings her work back to Ciutadella, where she has previously been recognised. Her children's play Som rosa, i què? received the Teatre de Butxaca Infantil award in 2016.

This year's result is different in scale and format, with Amb les mans plenes de paraules receiving the audience's recognition alongside Zu verkaufen in a shared award for the first time in the festival's history.

Accuracy note: The 2026 Teatre de Butxaca audience award was shared by Amb les mans plenes de paraules and Zu verkaufen. It would therefore be inaccurate to describe Planells' play as the festival's sole winner. The festival's public vote produced an ex aequo result, and the 14-year figure refers to the festival's history as reported in the September 28, 2026 coverage. The article also distinguishes Planells as the writer of Amb les mans plenes de paraules from Salvador Oliva, who directed and performed in the production.