The oldest theatre in the Canaries has held its last concert ahead of a massive facelift which sees it close its doors for up to three years.
The city-owned Guimerá Theatre in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is to undergo extensive modernisation costing an estimated eight million euros to – in the words of mayor Jose Manuel Bermúdez – “bring it fully into the 21st century, with the technology and facilities needed to enable it to host major stage shows”.
The theatre, which has undergone several name changes down the years and now bears that of Tenerife’s best-known poet and playwright Angel Guimerá (d.1924), was built in 1851 on a site considered a vital part of the capital’s history as it once housed the Dominican convent occupied by English troops during the unsuccessful attempted invasion of Tenerife by Admiral Nelson in 1797.
The Guimerá has been the focal point for Santa Cruz’s cultural life for many decades and was the headquarters and main concert venue of the internally renowned Tenerife Symphony Orchestra before it relocated to the newly-opened seafront Auditorium.
The curtain came down on Sunday night with a special concert, aptly entitled “See you soon, Guimerá”, starring Fabiola Socas, Eduardo Rojo and the Metamorphosis Big Band, who offered up a blend of traditional Canarian songs, jazz and classical music.
Its closure has prompted concerns at a significant decrease in major cultural events in the capital, although the city authorities say appropriate alternatives will be available for the duration of the renovations.
Work is not expected to begin until July as three months are required for a complete inventory and to clear the theatre of its valuable furniture (including its first ever seat) and other contents and place them in storage. Plans are also under way to put the most important items on display in an exhibition which will serve as a reminder of the importance of the Guimerá to the capital’s social and cultural history.
Photo; Ayuntamiento de Santa Cruz de Tenerife
