The Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) and the federal Ministry of Culture announced on July 20 the 100 projects selected under the National Open Call Escenarios IMSS-Cultura 2026-2027. Each project will receive a 300,000-peso grant to deliver six free performances across the IMSS Theater Network between August 2026 and March 2027, as reported by El Universal.
This is the second edition of the program, launched in 2025 through an agreement between the IMSS and the Ministry of Culture aimed at broadening access to the performing arts across the country. This year the call expanded from 25 to 31 theater venues, spread across 24 cities in 21 states, according to La Jornada. The initiative seeks to strengthen the circulation of theater, dance, and multidisciplinary companies beyond traditional cultural circuits, with free programming for audiences that rarely have access to live performances.
The selection comprises 66 theater projects, 22 dance projects, and 12 multidisciplinary proposals incorporating music, backed by a total investment of 30 million pesos. The selected applicants come from 29 states and were evaluated by specialist juries in each discipline. Culture Minister Claudia Curiel de Icaza noted that the program demonstrates how inter-institutional collaboration can expand opportunities for the country's artistic communities. The performances are organized into eight regional circuits spanning from Region 1 (Mexico City, State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Morelos, and Guerrero) to Region 8 (Campeche, Chiapas, Yucatán, Quintana Roo, and Tabasco), extending the program's reach to border states such as Tamaulipas, Chihuahua, Baja California, and Sonora.
The full list of selected projects is available at escenariosimsscultura.inba.gob.mx. The performance schedule will be announced in the coming weeks through the official channels of the IMSS, INBAL, and Fidteatros, with the first shows scheduled for August.
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