Teatro de los Insurgentes
Large 1953 commercial theatre fronted by a Diego Rivera mosaic mural on the history of Mexican theatre.
The Teatro de los Insurgentes was built for the impresario Jose Maria Davila to designs by Alejandro Prieto Posadas and opened on 30 April 1953. Its curved concrete front carries a mosaic mural by Diego Rivera, about 46 metres wide, made from coloured glass and stone. Titled after the history of theatre in Mexico, it runs from pre-Hispanic and colonial performance through the nineteenth century, with the comic actor Cantinflas at the centre in the guise of a masked figure distributing money to the poor.
Inside, a single raked auditorium seats a little over 900, and the stage is deep enough for large-scale work; the building was one of the first Mexican theatres planned for musicals and revues rather than for repertory. Rivera also painted murals in the foyer. Since the 1950s the theatre has staged commercial drama, comedy and above all musicals, and it remains one of the busiest stages on Avenida Insurgentes.
Highlights
- Diego Rivera's 46-metre glass mosaic mural across the curved facade
- Cantinflas depicted at the centre of the mural
- Auditorium of a little over 900 seats with a deep stage for musicals
- Rivera murals in the theatre foyer
