- CATEGORY: Theater
- PHONES: (55) 17193000 ext. 2009
- Ver las actividades vigentes (4)
The Esperanza Iris Theatre of the City is one of the most emblematic precincts of the Historic Downtown, a zone considered, since 1987, a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
It was opened on May 25th, 1918 on the bases of the old Xicoténcatl Theater; its building and design (which wanted to resemble the structure of La Scala in Milan, Italy) was carried out by the architects Ignacio Capetillo y Servín and Federico Mariscal.
Its stage has received great figures such as: Enrico Caruso, Ana Pavlova, Pedro Vargas, Plácido Domingo, Fernando de la Mora, Joan Manuel Serrat, Marcel Marceau, among others.
It came on a time when theatres, big tops, bullfighting shows, and other shows made up the foremost forms of entertainment. The history of this theatre is intimately related to that of its founder, the actress of operetta Esperanza Iris.
On March 3rd, 1984, a fire devastated the Theatre of the City. The most damaged parts were the second and third floors; there, the tapestries, seats, curtains, and a part of the carpets were consumed.
The Theatre of the City re-opened on November 20th, 1996, after it was closed for two years, with a tribute to the tenor from Guanajuato: Pedro Vargas. After a part of its façade was damaged, it was closed anew on 1996, after it was active for 10 years, and opened again on April 9th, 2002, with the show: Hurray for Zarzuela!, under the direction of Plácido Domingo.
Carlos Alvar González
Tel. (55) 17193000 ext. 2009
cst.teatrodelaciudad@gmail.com