CubaPLUS Magazine

Upon opening its doors in 1885 to art and the people proud to have it, the Teatro La Caridad began an indestructible love story between her sponsor, the altruistic lady Marta Abreu Estévez and her hometown, the beautiful Santa Clara at the center of Cuba. The wealthy benefactor had decided to finance the construction of a theater for the city, whose collections had to be used to help the poorer inhabitants.

It was a charitable project in which her husband Luis Estévez Romero also collaborated hard, after the City Council's acceptance. This is how on September 8 of that year, the day of the Virgin, patron saint of Cuba, the brand new Teatro La Caridad drew the inaugural curtain of its stage with a name that recalled the dedication to our saint, deeply rooted in Cuban spirituality. It is a majestic building, with elegant and sober architecture, one of the three magnificent settings built using audio techniques, technology and comfort to the Italian, from the 19th century in the country.

The other two are the Sauto, in Matanzas and the Terry in Cienfuegos. Declared a National Monument in 1981, both for its beautiful hist¨,ory, its architectural values and its cultural significance, today is an emblem of Santa Clara, reason for celebration and inspiration to enhance local culture. And although this was not the only generous gesture of the illustrious Marta de los Ángeles Estévez, and her countrymen thank her much more, it could be said that this is the insignia, for the amount of values it expresses. So the initial night with the premiere of the play ¨Los Lazos¨ was memorable to the family.  Run by fans from the region, and the artist Camilo Salaya gave reading to a poem to his land.

The lively chords of the polka ¨La Pasionaria¨ closed the memorable opening. Since then, the beautiful theater square has been worthy of its beauty and category and of the finesse of all those who influenced its creation and implementation. Exceptional artists and companies from Cuba and the world have performed for the Santa Clara residents, an audience that knows how to evaluate the best and sincere deliveries. For example: Enrico Caruso, Libertad Lamarque, Jorge Negrete, Rosita Fornés, the Company of Lola Flores, Chucho Valdés, Alicia Alonso and the National Ballet of Cuba, the Enrique Arredondo Theater Company and the Codanza Company, Frank Fernández, and has hosted the International Chamber Music Festival "A tempo con Caturla", a classic from the province of Villa Clara.

Since its inauguration, in its surface area of 1,950.48 square meters, the Colisseum included a restaurant, barbershop and space for recreational societies. A relevant detail: Filipino painter Camilo Salaya, a graduate of the Madrid academy, San Fernando, took pains to decorate the ceiling and sides of the top of mouth scene. Also present were renowned national architects, engineers, designers, sculptors and decorators, of that region.