"Cadiz", Blog English, Country, Spain

Falla Grand Theater of Cadiz

The Falla Grand Theater, of neo-Mudejar style, stands out unmistakably in the Fragela Square in Cadiz, Andalusia, Spain. Its construction began in 1884, on the site of the old Grand Theater of Cádiz, built in wood in 1871 that burned down in 1881.

The City Council of Cadiz assumed the direction of the works in 1886, being finished in 1905. The nineteen years it took to complete the construction was due to the shortage of funds that caused the paralyzation of the construction works on several occasions. The municipal architect Juan Cabrera de la Torre was in charge of the works, who modified the original project of the architects Adolfo Morales de los Ríos and Adolfo del Castillo Escribano to a great extent.

The Grand Theater was inaugurated with the performance of a symphony by Barbieri on January 12, 1910. The Grand Theater was renamed in 1926 the Falla Grand Theater in honor of the favorite son of the city of Cadiz, Manuel de Falla y Matheu, one of the most important Spanish composers of the first half of the twentieth century and of all times.

Neo-Mudejar in style, it is built in red brick, and features three large horseshoe arch doorways on its main façade, with voussoirs – the stone carved in the shape of a wedge to form an arch or vault – alternating red and white.

The floor plan of the Falla Grand Theater is horseshoe-shaped and can accommodate 1,214 spectators in seats, boxes, amphitheater and paradise. The stage is 18 meters long and 25.5 meters deep, and the ceiling shows an allegory of Paradise, the work of Felipe Abárzuza y Rodríguez de Arias.

The Falla Grand Theater hosts an Autumn Season and a Spring Season with a varied offer of concerts, plays and, to a lesser extent, musicals and opera. In addition, it is one of the venues of the various festivals held in the city, especially highlighting the FIT, Ibero-American Theater Festival of Cadiz, and Alcances, a film festival dedicated especially to documentaries.

Resources:

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gran_Teatro_Falla
https://www.minube.com/rincon/gran-teatro-falla-a310481