Teatro Macedonio Alcalá
Eclectic 1909 horseshoe theatre in central Oaxaca, run by the state culture secretariat.
Work on the theatre began on 4 August 1904 under the state engineer Rodolfo Franco Larrainzar, and the building opened on 5 September 1909 as the Teatro Luis Mier y Terán. It was later renamed Jesús Carranza and then, in 1932, Macedonio Alcalá, after the Oaxacan violinist and composer of the waltz Dios nunca muere, widely treated as the state's unofficial anthem. The theatre stands on a corner of Avenida Independencia in the historic centre, a short walk from the cathedral.
The façade mixes Renaissance and French Baroque motifs with a semi-cylindrical corner tower carrying a wooden dome. Inside, a marble staircase leads from the Louis XV foyer to a horseshoe auditorium of stalls and tiered boxes seating about eight hundred, with a painted ceiling by the Italian artist Vincenzo Cabral. Managed by the Secretaría de las Culturas y Artes de Oaxaca, it presents concerts, opera, dance, theatre and film seasons, and is used for state ceremonies and festivals.
Highlights
- Eclectic 1909 façade with a domed corner tower
- Horseshoe auditorium of stalls and tiered boxes seating about 800
- Louis XV foyer and marble staircase
- Painted auditorium ceiling by Vincenzo Cabral
