The Pérez Galdós Theatre

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · Category: Cultural spaces · Subcategory: Theaters · Year: 1925-28 · Authors: Fernando Navarro, Miguel Martín-Fernández de la Torre

[...] The master builder chosen for this project was Francisco Jareño y Alarcon (1818-1892), originally from Albacete and a resident in Madrid . This followed certain suspicion on the part of locals, and the need for institutional support to push it through. The project was finally approved on 22nd May 1868.

In 1888, and with the imminent arrival in Gran Canaria of the famous Italian tenor Roberto Stagno, who was on tour with his company on course for America, works were rushed through to be able to hold a recital and to generate funds. Unfortunately, there was an accident at the Port of La Luz, between two vessels from France and Italy resulting in a death toll of fifty-five, which led to the tenor and his management team to donate all funds to those affected by this great tragedy. Two years later, in 1890, the Tirso de Molina Theatre was opened, with La Traviata, which led to economical ruin for the promoters, while the building itself was given the official title of Municipal Theatre from 1913.

11 years later, with the successful priemiere of Electra by Benito Pérez Galdós in 1901, a solemn act was proposed to put the new theatre in the writer's name, as a tribute.

Then on the night of 28th June 1918, a huge fire virtually destroyed the whole of the theatre's wooden structure, so between 1925 and 1928 architect Miguel Martín-Fernández de la Torre did carried out a full restoration programme on the building.

Miguel Martín asked his artist and painter brother, Néstor, to help with the decoration of the inside of the building. He did the paintings in the Saint-Saëns room, the ceiling over the stalls, the stage surrounds, as well designing the stained glass windows and the curtain. Once the work was concluded, on 28th May 1928 a grand reinauguration took place with the premiere of Aida, an opera in four parts by Verdi.

The building was declared a Site of Cultural Interest (BIC) by the Canary Government in 1994, under the category of Monument.

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