Address | Seville |
---|---|
Coordinates | 37°22′44″N5°59′27″W / 37.378823°N 5.990792°W |
Opened | 1929 |
Website | |
www.teatrolopedevega.org/ |
The Lope de Vega Theatre (Spanish : Teatro Lope de Vega) is a small Baroque Revival theatre that was built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 in Seville, Spain, in the same building as the Exhibition Casino. It stands on the Avenida Maria Luisa street near the Maria Luisa Park just north of the Pavilion of Peru. [1] The theater is named after the famous 16th-century Spanish playwright Lope de Vega. [2] After the exposition the theatre had a mixed history. It suffered damage from fire and flood. At times it was closed and at times was partially restored and reopened. The building has been used as a hospital and as a trade show venue. Following its most recent renovation the theatre has become one of Seville's most important centres for cultural events.
The Pabellón de Sevilla (Pavilion of Seville) [3] housing the theatre and casino was designed by the young architect Vicente Traver y Tomás. [4]
He chose a Baroque style that reflected Levantine influences. [5] Elements of Baroque architecture were used in the physical structure as well as in the ornamentation. [6] The theatre hall was fronted by the exhibition casino, which is roofed by a dome decorated in ceramics. The hall was laid out according to the canons of Italian opera, with two wings and 1,025 seats, and was one of the most modern theaters in Spain in its day. The decor by Martínez del Cid y Zaragoza was dominated by red, with fine details in gold and ivory decorating the roof and railings, and with the door and furniture painted green. [5]
Construction of the 4,600 square metres (50,000 sq ft) theatre took just two years and included installation of an automatic electric generator which often failed, interrupting the performances. [7] The cost was 1.2 million pesetas, a huge amount at the time. The theater was inaugurated on 30 March 1929 with a comedy by Martinez Serra entitled The Blind Heart (El Corazón Ciego). During the exhibition the building was illuminated, like other buildings of the exhibition, with powerful external spotlights that enhanced the attractive appearance of the hall. [5]
After the exhibition, the theatre had ups and downs, competing with cinemas and football. [7] It was closed for a while, then re-opened as the Municipal Theatre Lope de Vega in 1936. The event was celebrated with a dance orchestra in the terrace beside the casino. The new opening did not last long. During the Civil War (1936–1939) the casino became a hospital, with the walls freshly painted white. [5] A fire in the theater destroyed the central chandelier and all the seats. Also, the Guadalquivir river overflowed to flood the pit. [7]
After the return of peace, in October 1939 the city council decided to organise a season of opera. They cleaned the theatre, repaired the roof and installed indirect lighting. The theatre came back into use for opera and operetta, and was also used by amateur theatre groups and even schools. In 1961, renewed flooding again caused damage to the pit, and fresh renovations were required. [7] In 1977 the theatre was assigned to the Ministry of Culture, and after a facelift became the National Theatre of Lope de Vega Sevilla. [7] The theatre was used for a trade show in 1985. [5] The World Chess Championship was held at the theater in 1987.
The theatre was returned to the city of Seville in 1985, and over a two-year period the architect Victor Perez Escolano made significant alterations, returning the theatre to its original design, although this limited the number of spectators to 749. The first performance after the reopening in February 1988 was a concert by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. From then on, the theatre has put on more than 180 performances every year to over 100,000 spectators. [7] The theatre today stages classical and modern plays and concerts, and flamenco shows. [2] It is a venue for the Flamenco Biennale of Seville, which is held on even-numbered years, and is among the most important theatres in Spain. [8] As of January 2009 further repairs were needed, especially to the casino dome which had tiles missing and was leaking. [5]
Seville is the capital of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula.
The Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 was a world's fair held in Seville, Spain, from 9 May 1929 until 21 June 1930. Countries in attendance of the exposition included: Portugal, the United States, Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Ecuador. Each Spanish region and each of the provinces of Andalusia were also represented.
The Plaza de España is a plaza in the Parque de María Luisa, in Seville, Spain. It was built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. It is a landmark example of Regionalism Architecture, mixing elements of the Baroque Revival, Renaissance Revival and Moorish Revival (Neo-Mudéjar) styles of Spanish architecture.
The Seville Expo '92 was a universal exposition that took place from Monday, April 20 to Monday, October 12, 1992, on La Isla de La Cartuja, Seville, Spain. The theme for the expo was "The Age of Discovery", celebrating the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus reaching the Americas after launching from Seville's port, and over 100 countries were represented. The total amount of land used for the expo was 215 hectares and the total number of visitors was 41,814,571. The exposition ran at the same time as the smaller and shorter-duration Genoa Expo '92, a Specialized Exhibition, held in memory of Christopher Columbus, born in Genoa.
Sara Pereyra Baras is a Spanish flamenco dancer and choreographer born in San Fernando (Cádiz) who has established her own dance company.
The Museum of Arts and Popular Customs of Seville is a museum in Seville, Andalusia, Spain, located in the María Luisa Park, across the Plaza de América from the Provincial Archeological Museum. The museum had 84,496 visitors in 2007.
Rafael Riqueni del Canto, is a Spanish guitar player and composer. He is considered as one of the biggest names or “Maestros” in flamenco guitar history. At age fourteen, he won the two main national awards for flamenco guitar in Spain. As an adult, he has won the most prestigious flamenco music awards in Spain, including: Premio Andalucía de Cultura, Premio Nacional de la Crítica, Giraldillo a la Maestría de la XVIII Bienal de Flamenco y el Premio AIE. In 2017, he was awarded with XXXI Compás del Cante, this award is always referred to by the Spanish media as the "Flamenco Nobel prize".
The Palace of San Telmo is a historical edifice in Seville, southern Spain, formerly the Universidad de Mareantes, now is the seat of the presidency of the Andalusian Autonomous Government. Construction of the building began in 1682 outside the walls of the city, on property belonging to the Tribunal of the Holy Office, the institution responsible for the Spanish Inquisition. It was originally constructed as the seat of the University of Navigators, a school to educate orphaned children and train them as sailors.
The Seville Public Library is a public library located in Seville, Spain. The library was founded in 1959 and occupied two different buildings before moving to its current location in the Maria Luisa Park. The new building opened in 1999 with 5,000 square metres of public space. With a highly innovative design, it has been nominated for a major European architectural award.
The Parque de María Luisa is a public park that stretches along the Guadalquivir River in Seville, Spain. It is Seville's principal green area.
The Costurero de la Reina is a building constructed in the late nineteenth century in the gardens of the Palace of San Telmo, now the Maria Luisa Park in Seville, Spain. This unique building takes the form of a small hexagonal castle with turrets at the corners.
La Casa de la Ciencia in the city of Seville, Spain is a centre for popularizing science.
The Lope de Vega Theatre is a theater in Madrid, Spain.
Vicente Traver y Tomás was a Spanish architect. His most notable works were constructed in Seville between 1915 and 1933.
Jerónimo de la Gándara (1825–1877) was a Spanish architect who designed a number of public buildings during the reign of Isabella II of Spain.
There are numerous sights and landmarks of Seville, Spain. The most important sights are the Alcázar, the Seville Cathedral, and the Archivo General de Indias, which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Seville, Andalusia, Spain.
Aníbal González Álvarez-Ossorio was a Spanish architect who made important buildings in Seville and Madrid. At the beginning of his career his style was Art Deco, but later evolved towards regionalism. He designed the Plaza de España and he was the chief architect of the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 in Seville.
Ana Morales Moreno, known as Ana Morales, is a Spanish flamenco dancer and choreographer, who has established her own dance company.
Antonio Gómez de los Reyes known as Antonio Canales is a male flamenco dancer and choreographer born in Seville.