Teatro Guimerá is a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

located in

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife (; locally ), commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz, is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and one of the capitals of the Canary Islands, along with Las Palmas. Santa Cruz has a ...

, the capital city of the island of

Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...

in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

(

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

). Built in 1849, it is the oldest theater in the Canary Islands. In 1923 it was named after the writer, poet and playwright

Àngel Guimerà Àngel Guimerà i Jorge (; 6 May 1845 or 6 May 1847 or 1849 – 18 July 1924), usually known simply as Àngel Guimerà, was a Catalan Spanish playwright and poet. His work is known for bringing together under romantic aspects the main elemen ...

, born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

History

The theater was built on the site previously occupied by the ''Saint Dominic Convent'' or ''Our Lady of Consolation'' belonging to the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

and one of the two convents existing in the city. The Spanish confiscation forced the closure of this convent until it was demolished. On the ruins of this convent the future Guimerá Theater would be constructed in a similar way to the Theater of the Lyceum of

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, which was also built on a convent. The theatre was built in 1849 by the architect Manuel de Oráa in classical-romance style. It underwent important works of modification in 1911, mainly of the interior of the building, headed by Antonio Pintor. Between 1989 and 1991 works of restoration and modernisation were done by the architect Carlos Schwartz. Further improvements were made in 2010 under supervision of Haris Kozo. The theater has been a venue for opera since 1861, when

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, recei ...

's ''

Ernani ''Ernani'' is an operatic ''dramma lirico'' in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the 1830 play ''Hernani (drama), Hernani'' by Victor Hugo. Verdi was commissioned by the Teatro La Fenice in Ve ...

'' was presented. Operas were usually performed in October and November, with three or four operas given one performance each, usually with an international cast accompanied by the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife. Both orchestra concerts and operas are now performed at the

Auditorio de Tenerife The Auditorio de Tenerife "Adán Martín" (commonly referred to as the Auditorio de Tenerife) is an auditorium in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. Designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, it is located on the Avenue of the Constitu ...

, which opened in 2003.

References

External links

Official Website of Guimerá Theatre
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Santa Cruz de Tenerife Culture of the Canary Islands Theatres in Spain Tourist attractions in Tenerife Companies of the Canary Islands Theatres completed in 1849