Built in 1856 in the same style as La Scala in Milan, this grand theater is dedicated to a particularly Spanish form of 17th-century light opera called zarzuela that includes spoken as well as sung parts. It's also used for performances of classical opera, dance, and concerts. At Christmas time the Spanish National Ballet Company presents their new work here to expectant audiences. The traditional semicircular seating area has three galleries with private boxes and holds up to 1259 spectators.
Madrid's Teatro Real is an Opera House which has one of the largest stages in the world and seats up to 1746 spectators. Its annual program features the whole range of operatic styles and genres from the baroque to the contemporary, including the ever-popular works of composers like Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, and Wagner. It also hosts lyric concerts and dance performances. You'll find it close to the Palacio Real (Royal Palace). Tickets are hard to come by, so book early.
Roaring crowds and an ardent passion for toreo, or bullfighting, culminates in a brilliant climax at the phenomenal Plaza de Toros de las Ventas, perhaps the world's most extraordinary arena for this traditional sport. At the backdrop of the bullfights that are held annually between March and October is a longstanding edifice dating back to 1931, a soft brown structure sprawled across a sunlit plaza in the Guindalera quarter. This spectacular bullring can hold a crowd of more than 23,000 spectators, the most vociferous and demanding a bullfighter is ever likely to face. The Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas is an imposing neomudéjar-style building of exposed brickwork, decorated with colorful ceramic tiles, while the ring itself is covered with golden sand from Andalusia. Before this ring was built in the 1930s, bullfights were held in semi-enclosed areas like the Plaza Mayor or Puerta del Sol, and with the advent of this marvelous arena began the celebrated age of Spanish bullfighting.
The Cine Doré is a famous Spanish Film Library and is used to show programs, host public events like seminars, book presentations and conferences. It also does the work of recovering, restoring and conserving the film heritage of Spain. There are three projection rooms in use. Cinema I has pleasant interiors and also houses the Spanish Film Library and exhibits cinematography programs daily. The Cine Doré has a cafeteria and a bookstore specializing in special references and books on cinema. Foreign films are exhibited in the original language with subtitles.
As headquarters of the National Drama Centre, this theater concentrates on promoting the work of young playwrights. The building itself is a fine example of early cast-iron architecture with a classical façade and a neomudéjar-style interior. It opened as a theater in 1885, equipped to hold 750 spectators. The great actress María Guerrero made her debut here, and later bought it. Since her death it has been in the hands of the state. You'll find it in the city center, close to both the Archaeology Museum and the Wax Museum.
Founded in 1902, the club's teams had to play in a variety of venues throughout the city until this stadium was built in 1947. It has the capacity to hold a crowd of over 80,000 spectators and has become world famous due to Real's success in international competitions over the years. It is named after the chairman of the Board of Directors, Santiago Bernabéu, who had the vision to borrow the money to buy this plot of land and start building. At that time it was the most modern stadium in the country and it has since undergone various expansion and improvement projects. You can visit the club's museum that is open daily, except Monday, to find out about its history, see the trophy room and tread on the hallowed turf itself.
It offers outstanding acoustics based on Dolby's digital THX sound system and specializes in showing commercially successful comedies and dramas. Its renovation in 1991 turned it into one of the city's most modern cinemas without it ending up being a multiplex like all the others. You'll find it opposite the Capitol cinema on Plaza Callao by Gran Vía. You're assigned a numbered seat for every showing.
A cozy little space with a seating capacity for about 60 people, La Usina is a multi-functional center for performing arts. It hosts some of the best drama performances in the city and also serves as a theater training facility for youngsters. Equipped with a cozy atmosphere and state-of-the-art technology, the center hosts various training courses and workshops that are ideal for developing various projects displayed on the stage. A perfect opportunity for audience-artist interaction, call or visit their website for the event updates.
Built in 1856 in the same style as La Scala in Milan, this grand theater is dedicated to a particularly Spanish form of 17th-century light opera called zarzuela that includes spoken as well as sung parts. It's also used for performances of classical opera, dance, and concerts. At Christmas time the Spanish National Ballet Company presents their new work here to expectant audiences. The traditional semicircular seating area has three galleries with private boxes and holds up to 1259 spectators.
As headquarters of the National Drama Centre, this theater concentrates on promoting the work of young playwrights. The building itself is a fine example of early cast-iron architecture with a classical façade and a neomudéjar-style interior. It opened as a theater in 1885, equipped to hold 750 spectators. The great actress María Guerrero made her debut here, and later bought it. Since her death it has been in the hands of the state. You'll find it in the city center, close to both the Archaeology Museum and the Wax Museum.