Barcelona
Theatre - The range of Barcelona's stage
facilities can be differentiated in three main categories:
(i) public theatres (examples here are the Teatre
Grec, which gave its name to the city's annual Grec
Summer Festival, the Mercat de les Flors and the Teatre
Nacional de Catalunya); (ii) private theatres (with
a highly diversified commercial circuit) and; (iii)
a series of alternative theatre venues. The two most
important theatres in Barcelona are the National
Theatre and the Auditorium of Barcelona.
They are two of the most important buildings in the
modern cultural and musical life of the city.
L'Auditori, inaugurated in 1999, is the music's new
cultural complex in Barcelona and one of the most
frequented musical scenarios in the country, with
332,000 spectators in the year 2002, with the modern
Symphonic Room of exceptional acoustics, and the next
incorporation in the same building of the “Escola
Superior de Música de Catalunya, ESMUC”,
and the “Museu de la 
Música”.
L'Auditori is the central residence for Orquesta
Simfonica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya´s
(OBC) first-class orchestra for its number of permanent
and guest musicians, with 10,000 subscribers to its
season of Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. L'Auditori
is more than a last generation musical hall. It covers
a wide range of social and institutional events and
offers its facilities to institutions and companies
interested in organizing their events. L'Auditori
has housed the delivery of the Goya Movie Awards,
the presentation of the Fòrum Universal de
les Cultures Barcelona 2004, the delivery of dispatches
of the Judicial Power, among other activites. The
year 2002 l'Auditori welcomed 96 public events of
this kind, with the participation of 16,300 people.
Inaugurated in 1997, The National Theatre
was born with the objetive to consolidate a theatrical
offer of high quality, both on national and international
levels. The National Theatre was designed by arquitect
Ricado Bofill. It´s glass exterior permits you
clear vision of the inside. It has three theatre halls.
One of the presentations that have taken place in
this teatre is, for instance, "The Reader by
Hours" by Sanchís.
Another important Theatre in Barcelona
is the Teatre Liceu. Founded in 1847 on Barcelona's
Las Ramblas, the Gran Teatre del Liceu is an opera
house that has retained its role as a culture and
arts center throughout its history, becoming one of
the symbols of the city. Today, it is a publicly-owned
theatre by the Catalan Regional Government, Barcelona
City Council, Barcelona Provincial Council and the
Ministry of Culture, under the administration of the
Fundació del Gran Teatre del Liceu.
If you are planning to go to the theatre during your
visit in Barcelona, make sure to purchase your ticket
beforehand. Tickets can be very hard to get even months
before a show! Some shows are based on music, or have
no or little spoken words. Nonetheless, make sure
to investigate this detail, before making your decision.
Major theatre and opera housed in Barcelona
include:
Gran Teatre del Liceu: Opera and
ballet. (La Rambla, 51 – 59, 08002 Barcelona)
Teatro Nacional de Catalunya: Contemporary
performances and shows for the whole family. (Plaça
de les Arts 1, 08012 Barcelona)
Palau de la Música Catalana:
Classical music performances by renowned orchestras
and musicians. (Sant Francesc de Paula no. 2, 08003
Barcelona).
L´ Auditori de Barcelona:
Symphonic concerts. (Lepant no. 150, 08013 Barcelona).
Villaroel Theatre: Comedy theatre.
(Villaroel no.87, 08015 Barcelona).
Sala Muntaner: Contemporary performances.
(Muntaner no. 4, 08015 Barcelona).
Club Capitol: Contemporary performances.
(Calle Las Ramblas no. 138, 08015 Barcelona).
