Teatro Nacional Sucre
Neoclassical opera house of 1886 on Plaza del Teatro, Ecuador's principal stage for music and opera.
Built between 1879 and 1886 during the presidency of Ignacio de Veintimilla, the Teatro Nacional Sucre is among the oldest opera houses in South America. It was inaugurated on 25 November 1886 and is named after Antonio José de Sucre, whose bronze statue stands in the entrance loggia. The German architect Francisco Schmidt gave it a neoclassical front, with Apollo and the nine Muses in gilded relief above the portico and griffins flanking the upper storey.
The auditorium follows the European horseshoe plan, with stalls and three tiers of boxes seating about 737 people in total. The theatre closed for restoration in 1994 and reopened on 24 November 2003 with a production of Verdi's Rigoletto. It is run by the Fundación Teatro Nacional Sucre, which also manages the Teatro Variedades, the Teatro México and the Centro Cultural Mama Cuchara, and maintains resident ensembles covering symphonic, choral and Ecuadorian popular repertoire.
Highlights
- One of the oldest opera houses in South America, opened 1886
- Neoclassical façade with Apollo and the nine Muses in gilded relief
- Horseshoe auditorium of about 737 seats over stalls and three tiers
- Reopened in 2003 after restoration with a staging of Rigoletto
