The May 1 Municipal Theater is the premier stage theater and concert hall in

Santa Fe, Argentina Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz (; usually called just Santa Fe) is the capital city of the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is situated in north-eastern Argentina, near the junction of the Paraná and Salado rivers. It lies from the Hernanda ...

History and overview

The theatre arose from an initiative by Mayor Sixto Sandaza, who sought to remedy the growing city's lack of a formal concert hall or architecturally significant theater. The city is the capital of

Santa Fe Province The Province of Santa Fe ( es, Provincia de Santa Fe, ) is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco (divided by the 28th parallel south), Corrientes, Entre R� ...

, was home to 35,000 inhabitants by the 1895 Census, and had doubled in population in merely a decade. The municipality commissioned

French Argentine French Argentines (french: Franco-Argentins; es, franco-argentinos) refers to Argentine citizens of full or partial French ancestry or persons born in France who reside in Argentina. French Argentines form one of the largest ancestry groups ...

architect Augusto Plou to design the new institution, whose construction began in 1903. Undersecretary of Culture of Santa Fe Province: Teatro Municipal 1° de Mayo
/ref> Plou's design for a French Neoclassical exterior and interiors in the style of Louis XV resulted from the day's architectural tastes among Argentine high society and government planners, alike. The façade was crowned with sculptures by local artist Nicolás Gulli, representing

allegories As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

of music and dance. The ornate theater was inaugurated on October 5, 1905. The institution's main hall, the ''Sala Mayor'', seats an audience of 850, was decorated by painter Nazareno Orlandi, and is notable also for a spiderweb

chandelier A chandelier (; also known as girandole, candelabra lamp, or least commonly suspended lights) is a branched ornamental light fixture designed to be mounted on ceilings or walls. Chandeliers are often ornate, and normally use incandescent ...

transferred from the city's colonial cabildo.La Guia Santa Fe: Teatro Municipal 1ro. de Mayo
An extensive modernization was completed in 1973, including the installation of electronic

stagecraft Stagecraft is a technical aspect of theatrical, film, and video production. It includes constructing and rigging scenery; hanging and focusing of lighting; design and procurement of costumes; make-up; stage management; audio engineering; a ...

and lighting equipment, as well as central air conditioning. Two secondary halls were also opened at the time: the

Leopoldo Marechal Leopoldo Marechal (June 11, 1900 – June 26, 1970) was one of the most important Argentine writers of the twentieth century. Biographical notes Born in Buenos Aires into a family of French and Spanish descent, Marechal became a primary sch ...

Salon, which seats 250, and the smaller Juan Franze Salon, which hosts ballet recitals. On the occasion of the theater's upcoming centennial, Mayor Ezequiel Balbarrey commissioned its refurbishment, including the removal of the modern veranda (a visual obstacle on the façade). Inaugurated on May 25, 2005, the theater's restoration was awarded a second-place prize in the subsequent Ibero-American Cultural Patrimony Restoration Contest.''DERF Santa Fe'': La restauración del Teatro Municipal fue premiada (September 12, 2006)
/ref>

References and external links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Municipal Theater of Santa Fe Theatres in Argentina Argentine culture Concert halls in Argentina Theatres completed in 1905 Event venues established in 1905 Buildings and structures in Santa Fe Province 1905 establishments in Argentina