Teatro Martí is a
Neoclassical theater
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
in
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. ,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
. It was inaugurated on 8 June 1884 as the Teatro Irijoa, named after its founder and owner Ricardo Irijoa, from the
Basque Country,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
.
It was originall used for the performance of
zarzuelas and
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
s, as well as meetings of the
Partido Autonomista.
In 1899, it was renamed Eden Garden, before changing its name again a year later to Teatro José Martí. In 1901, it held the ''Convención Constituyente'' which established the independent
Republic of Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbean ...
.
At the time, it had a capacity of 1,200 persons.
The theater was abandoned in the 1970s before reopening on 24 February 2014 in the presence of
Raúl Castro. In 2015, it was awarded the ''Premio Nacional de Restauración''. In 2016, the restored Teatro Martí appeared on
Cuban postage stamps.
References
{{coord missing, Cuba
Theatres in Havana
Theatres completed in 1884
1884 establishments in Cuba
Cinema of Cuba