Teatro Alejandro Tapia y Rivera (commonly referred as "Teatro Tapia"), is the oldest free-standing drama stage building located in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...

. It is named after

Alejandro Tapia y Rivera Alejandro Tapia y Rivera (November 12, 1826 – July 19, 1882) was a Puerto Rican poet, playwright, essayist and writer. Tapia is considered to be the father of Puerto Rican literature and as the person who has contributed the most to the cultu ...

(1826–1882), a Puerto Rican poet and dramatist.

Location

The theater faces east, across from Plaza de Colón, on Fortaleza Street, and was constructed in 1824. It was designed in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

style as a horseshoe shaped

opera house An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...

with three tiers of boxes. A block south lies a brick-shaped former ''Casa de camineros'', house of road-maintainers. To the north-east lies a string of cultural institutions: the restored ''Casino de Puerto Rico'', the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

, the Carnegie library, the

Ateneo Puertorriqueño The Ateneo Puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican Athenaeum) is a cultural institution in Puerto Rico. Founded on April 30, 1876, it has been called Puerto Rico's oldest cultural institution, however, it is actually its third oldest overall and second c ...

, and Moorish-inspired Casa de España. In the northern seaward cliff sprawls the historic and labyrinthine fort of San Cristóbal. The original landward gate of old San Juan lays just east of this site on Calle Fortaleza.

Significance

For over one hundred years since it was built it was the center of cultural life in the city. Famous soprano

Adelina Patti Adelina Patti (19 February 184327 September 1919) was a Spanish-Italian opera singer. At the height of her career, she was earning huge fees performing in the music capitals of Europe and America. She first sang in public as a child in 1851, a ...

sang there in one of her earlier tours of

the Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.'' Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sin ...

during the mid-nineteenth century. Other notable performers to have graced its stage include the Russian ballerina

Anna Pavlova Anna Pavlovna Pavlova. (born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova; – 23 January 1931) was a Russian prima ballerina. She was a principal artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev, but is most recognized for creating ...

. Emilio Pasarell and Antonia Saez have said that "the most significant moments of Puerto Rico's musical history are associated with...Teatro Tapia."

History

Initially named the San Juan Municipal Theater, it was renamed the ''Antonio Paoli Theater'' in 1935.''Antonio Paoli.'' Music of Puerto Rico.
/ref> It was subsequently officially renamed the ''Teatro Alejandro Tapia y Rivera'' in 1937. After years of neglect during the 1940s, the theater was saved from demolition by the former long-time Mayor of San Juan

Felisa Rincón de Gautier Felisa Rincón de GautierThis name uses Spanish marriage naming customs; the first is the maiden family name '' "Rincón"'' and the second or matrimonial family name is ''"Gautier"''. (), also known as Doña Fela, (January 9, 1897 – Septembe ...

. It was restored in the late 1940s and has subsequently been used to provide a venue for

musical theater Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, moveme ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

and other cultural events. With a maximum capacity of 647 people, this 19th-century theater serves as an arena for cultural events and enchanting ballet performances. The interior audience hall is remarkable for the period. Subsequent restorations (in 1976 and 1997) returned it to its old charm.

References

External links

{{Commonscat-inline, Teatro Tapia Buildings and structures in San Juan, Puerto Rico Theatres in Puerto Rico Tourist attractions in San Juan, Puerto Rico Theatres completed in 1832 1830s establishments in Puerto Rico 1832 establishments in the Spanish Empire Old San Juan, Puerto Rico Historic district contributing properties in Puerto Rico National Historic Landmark District contributing properties