Teatro Español

Teatro Español

A witness of the history of Madrid, the Teatro Español has been holding theatre shows since the 16th century.

Located on Calle Príncipe, at the height of Plaza de Santa Ana, stands one of the main theatres in the city of Madrid and a worldwide stage reference that offers some of the today’s best national and international productions.

It is also one of the oldest theatres in the world. Originally, in the 16th century, it was a comedy playhouse called Corral del Príncipe, as it was located in the street of the same name, where small pieces were performed and pieces that would later become great classics of our literature were premiered. In 1744, the Corral was pulled down and a new theatre was built under the name of Coliseo del Príncipe. This new construction was engulfed in fire in 1802, which barely left one façade standing. The decision was made to rebuild it and the task of doing so was given to Juan de Villanueva, who incorporated an extension of the stage and the façade that we can see today.

In the mid-19th century, there were two major milestones for the theatre: in 1849, the Coliseo del Príncipe became a National Theatre and its name was changed to Teatro Español; two years later, in 1851, Madrid City Council regained its ownership and the name has been maintained to the present day. In the following years, there were diverse refurbishments and extensions. In 1995, the most important extension was carried out, with the creation of a rehearsal room, library, cafeteria, exhibition hall, offices and storerooms.

The theatre has two halls:The Main Hall, boasts 735 seats and a stage where works by Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, Calderón, Duque de Rivas, Zorrilla, Pérez Galdós, Unamuno, Valle-Inclán, Benavente, the Machado, García Lorca, Mihura or Buero Vallejo, among others, were premièred; and the Margarita Xirgu Hall, located in the former Café del Príncipe, which was turned into a theatre hall in 2006.

It also has several halls of different styles and perio