Teatro Diana
University of Guadalajara concert theatre in a converted 1960s cinema on Avenida 16 de Septiembre.
The building opened in 1961 as the Cine Diana, designed by Julio de la Peña as part of an ambitious block of offices and hotel accommodation on Avenida 16 de Septiembre. The cinema closed in 1995, and in June 2001 the University of Guadalajara acquired the shell and began converting it into a live performance venue. The work, directed by the architect Héctor García Curiel, kept the raked seating, the foyer and the murals by José María Servín, which were cleaned and consolidated by a local conservation school.
Teatro Diana reopened on 4 February 2005 and now seats around seventeen hundred. It is run by the university's cultural department and is one of the principal stages in western Mexico for touring concerts, musicals, dance companies, stand-up comedy and film screenings, including the Metropolitan Opera live relays. The theatre also hosts events tied to the Guadalajara International Film Festival and the Feria Internacional del Libro, and runs its own Sesiones Estudio Diana series for local musicians.
Highlights
- Converted 1961 cinema retaining murals by José María Servín
- Around 1,700 seats in stalls and balcony
- Metropolitan Opera live relays and touring dance companies
- Sesiones Estudio Diana series featuring musicians from Jalisco
