From January 28 to March 1, 2026, at Sala Beckett in Barcelona, How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel was staged, translated into Catalan by Marilia Samper. After the performance on Thursday, January 29, Adriana Nicolau, professor in the Arts and Humanities Department at the UOC, member of the GRESOL research group, and curator of the UOC–Sala Beckett 2026 Post-Performance Series, moderated the public discussion about the show with Paula Vogel, Marilia Samper, and Maria Olivella.
The American playwright Paula Vogel (Washington, 1951) is one of the most powerful voices in contemporary theatre. Despite numerous international recognitions, her work has not reached our country’s stages with the presence it deserves. Her theatre, imaginative and deeply personal, explores uncomfortable social issues such as prostitution, injustice, homophobia, and sexual abuse, always with a lucid and provocative perspective. Her most celebrated dramatic text, How I Learned to Drive, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998 and the Tony Award for its revival in 2022.