Teatro Nacional Cervantes facts for kids
The Teatro Nacional Cervantes is a very important theatre in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It's known as the national stage and comedy theatre, where many plays and shows happen.
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What is the Cervantes Theatre?
The Cervantes Theatre is located on Córdoba Avenue in Buenos Aires. It's just two blocks away from another famous building, the Colón Theatre, which is an opera house. The Cervantes Theatre has three main rooms where performances take place.
The María Guerrero Salon
This is the main and largest hall in the theatre. Its stage is huge, about 456 square meters (4,900 square feet)! It even has a cool rotating platform that's 12 meters (39 feet) wide. This stage can also be made longer by another 2.7 meters (9 feet). The Guerrero Salon can fit 860 people, with 512 seats in the upper levels called galleries.
The Orestes Caviglia Salon
This is a smaller room that can seat about 150 people. It's mostly used for chamber music concerts, which are performances by small groups of musicians.
The Luisa Vehíl Salon
This room is used for many different things. It's famous for its beautiful decorations, especially the shiny gold leaf that covers many parts of it.
History of the Theatre
The Cervantes Theatre exists thanks to a Spanish theatre producer named María Guerrero. She moved to Argentina in 1897 and became very popular, helping professional theatre grow in the country. She had great success at the Teatro Odeón and performed classic Spanish plays all over Argentina.
In 1918, María Guerrero and her husband, Fernando Díaz de Mendoza, decided to use some of their money to build their own grand theatre. This idea got attention from important people in Argentina and even the King of Spain, Alfonso XIII. The King helped by sending special decorations, materials, and stage equipment for the theatre. It was built in the beautiful Spanish baroque style and named after Spain's famous writer, Miguel de Cervantes.
Opening and Challenges
The Cervantes Theatre first opened its doors on September 5, 1921. The very first play performed there was La dama boba (The Foolish Lady) by Lope de Vega.
However, soon after, many other theatres opened in Buenos Aires, and radio became popular. This meant fewer people were coming to the Cervantes Theatre. By 1926, María Guerrero and her husband had to sell the theatre.
Saving the Theatre
Luckily, Enrique García Velloso, who worked at the National Music Conservatory, was sad to see the theatre struggling. He convinced the President of Argentina at the time, Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear, to help. The President's wife, Regina Pacini, used to be an opera singer and loved the arts, so she also supported the idea. Because of them, the Cervantes Theatre became the National Stage Theatre. In 1933, it also became home to the National Comedy Theatre.
Fire and Rebuilding
In 1961, a huge fire almost completely destroyed the Cervantes Theatre. This was a big disaster, but it led to the theatre being rebuilt and made more modern. They even added a tall 17-story building next to it. The main hall was carefully rebuilt to look just like it did originally. The renovated theatre reopened in 1968.
Later, a famous Argentine actor named Lito Cruz worked very hard to get a new law passed. In 1997, the Argentine Congress passed the National Theatre Law. This law provides money every year to support theatre in Argentina and officially made the Cervantes Theatre a national landmark.
Gallery
See also
In Spanish: Teatro Nacional Cervantes para niños
