National Theatre of Cuba
The Teatro Nacional de Cuba is a theatre building and associated theatre company in Havana, Cuba, on Plaza de la Revolución.[1]
History
The company Teatro Nacional de Cuba was created for propaganda and arts purposes in the early years of the revolution, 1953, six years before the overthrow of the Battista regime in 1959. The revolutionary "National Theatre" also had a department of folklore with ajournal Actas del folklore.[2] Prior to the new building the old Gran Teatro de La Habana, renamed the Teatro García Lorca after the completion of the Cuban revolution, 1959, was regarded as the National Theatre of Cuba.[3]
Building
Work on the current building started in 1951 but was not opened until 1979. The 3 September 1979 opening hosted a gala for the delegations to the 6th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement celebrated in Havana in that year. The theatre is housed in a large modern building, decorated with works by Cuban artists. There are two main theatre stages, the Avellaneda Hall (with seating for 2254, named after Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda), and the Covarrubias Hall (with seating for 805, named after the actor Francisco Covarrubias), as well as a smaller theatre workshop space on the ninth floor.
See also
- Ballet Nacional de Cuba based at the Gran Teatro de La Habana, also home of Opera de la Habana
References
- Brendan Sainsbury Lonely Planet - Cuba2009 Page 145 "VEDADO Teatro Nacional de Cuba (879-6011; cnr Paseo & Calle 39; per person CUC$10; hbox office 9am-5pm& before performances) One of the twin pillars of Havana's cultural life, the Teatro Nacional de Cuba on Plaza de la Revolución"
- From the Winds of Manguito Desde Los Vientos de Manguito Page 5 Elvia Pérez Nápoles, Margaret Read MacDonald - 2004 "In the first years of the revolution (which lasted for more than five years — 1953 through the beginning of 1959), the Teatro Nacional de Cuba was created with a department of Folklore that had a journal. Actas del folklore."
- Katherine K. Preston Opera on the Road: Traveling Opera Troupes in the United States, ... 2001 - Page 397 "National Theatre of Cuba; it was renamed (after the Revolution of 1959) the Teatro Garcia Lorca (Pride 1973, 96). "