Teatro de la Ciudad
Encyclopedia
The Teatro de la Ciudad (Theater of the City) was built as the "Teatro Esperanza Iris" (Esperanza Iris Theatre) in 1918 and is now one of Mexico City
’s public venues for cultural events. The theater is located in the historic center of Mexico City
on Donceles Street 36.
singer from the state of Tabasco
active in the early 20th century. Her career was most successful in Mexico City, Havana
and Madrid
, but she toured extensively in the Americas. Some of her best known works are La viuda alegre, El conde de Luxemburgo and La princesa del dólar. She also acted in a number of films in the 1930s.
The theatre was partially funded by Iris, from earnings from a recent tour. The architects were Capetillo Servín and Federico Mariscal who based the work on the La Scala
opera house in Milan
, Italy
. The theatre was opened on 25 May 1918, two days after the Mexican singer returned from South America
. The event was attended by President Venustiano Carranza
and his cabinet. The opening work was a staging of the play La Duquesa del Bal-Tabarín and Iris herself sand some of the musical numbers. After its opening, it was the most important cultural venue in the city, until the long-postponed opening of the Palacio de Bellas Artes
in the 1930s. Despite the ongoing war in Mexico
, Iris manage to attract a number of international stars to the theatre, including Enrico Caruso and Anna Pavlova.
Initial efforts to remodel the theater led to a fire caused by an electrical spark. This fire destroyed a large portion of the building, and it was completely shut down until restoration work was reinitiated in 1999. This work continued until 2002. The infrastructure was reinforced. All of the decorated elements such as columns, sculptures, facade and main stage were either replaced or extensively remodeled. In addition, technical aspects of the theatre were modernized and some acoustic problems were remedied.
In 2008, the city returned the name of Esperanza Iris to the theater’s name and added a space for cabaret productions as well.
Today, the theater hosts concerts and presentation by individual artists and groups from Mexico and other countries. Some of these include Pablo Milanés, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Betsy Pecdanins, Lila Downs and Alberto Cortez. In May 2010, the theater’s 92nd anniversary was celebrated with Mexico’s traditional birthday song, "Las Mañanitas
", music by the Barandela Big Band, and members of the theatrical community and the public. The celebration was also part of the Mexico’s Bicentennial celebrations
.
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
’s public venues for cultural events. The theater is located in the historic center of Mexico City
Historic center of Mexico City
The historic center of Mexico City is also known as the "Centro" or "Centro Histórico." This neighborhood is focused on the Zócalo or main plaza in Mexico City and extends in all directions for a number of blocks with its farthest extent being west to the Alameda Central The Zocalo is the largest...
on Donceles Street 36.
The former Esperanza Iris Theatre
The current theater building was constructed in 1918, on the site of the prior Teatro Xicoténcatl. It was originally named after diva Esperanza Iris. Iris, born María Esperanza Bonfil, was an operettaOperetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
singer from the state of Tabasco
Tabasco
Tabasco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tabasco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa....
active in the early 20th century. Her career was most successful in Mexico City, Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
and Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, but she toured extensively in the Americas. Some of her best known works are La viuda alegre, El conde de Luxemburgo and La princesa del dólar. She also acted in a number of films in the 1930s.
The theatre was partially funded by Iris, from earnings from a recent tour. The architects were Capetillo Servín and Federico Mariscal who based the work on the La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
opera house in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The theatre was opened on 25 May 1918, two days after the Mexican singer returned from South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. The event was attended by President Venustiano Carranza
Venustiano Carranza
Venustiano Carranza de la Garza, was one of the leaders of the Mexican Revolution. He ultimately became President of Mexico following the overthrow of the dictatorial Huerta regime in the summer of 1914 and during his administration the current constitution of Mexico was drafted...
and his cabinet. The opening work was a staging of the play La Duquesa del Bal-Tabarín and Iris herself sand some of the musical numbers. After its opening, it was the most important cultural venue in the city, until the long-postponed opening of the Palacio de Bellas Artes
Palacio de Bellas Artes
The Palacio de Bellas Artes is the most important cultural center in Mexico City as well as the rest of the country of Mexico...
in the 1930s. Despite the ongoing war in Mexico
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
, Iris manage to attract a number of international stars to the theatre, including Enrico Caruso and Anna Pavlova.
As the city theatre
Iris lived in the foyer of the building for some time during her life and had her own private box for viewing productions in which she was not a part. However, by the time Iris died in 1962, the theater was practically abandoned. In 1976, the theater became the property of the city to use for the promotion of cultural events, changing the name to the Teatro de la Ciudad.Initial efforts to remodel the theater led to a fire caused by an electrical spark. This fire destroyed a large portion of the building, and it was completely shut down until restoration work was reinitiated in 1999. This work continued until 2002. The infrastructure was reinforced. All of the decorated elements such as columns, sculptures, facade and main stage were either replaced or extensively remodeled. In addition, technical aspects of the theatre were modernized and some acoustic problems were remedied.
In 2008, the city returned the name of Esperanza Iris to the theater’s name and added a space for cabaret productions as well.
Today, the theater hosts concerts and presentation by individual artists and groups from Mexico and other countries. Some of these include Pablo Milanés, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Betsy Pecdanins, Lila Downs and Alberto Cortez. In May 2010, the theater’s 92nd anniversary was celebrated with Mexico’s traditional birthday song, "Las Mañanitas
Las Mañanitas
Las Mañanitas is a traditional Mexican birthday song sung in many Latin American countries at birthday parties, usually sung before eating cake and especially as part of the custom of serenading unmarried women. The tradition of the song can be tracked back to 1896 in the mexican city Zacatecas...
", music by the Barandela Big Band, and members of the theatrical community and the public. The celebration was also part of the Mexico’s Bicentennial celebrations
Celebration of Mexican political anniversaries in 2010
In 2010, Mexico celebrated both the 200th anniversary of its Independence and 100th anniversary of its Revolution. The entire year was proclaimed by President Felipe Calderón as "Año de la Patria", or "Year of the Nation." 16 September 1810 is the day of the "Grito de Dolores" or Miguel Hidalgo's...
.