The Teatro Español: a brief history


CC 2.0 Image from Jose Javier Martin Espartosa

The Teatro Español is one of the oldest theaters in Europe which started as a corral de comedias* in 1582 (Corral del Príncipe). The antiquity of the theatre justifies all the adventures that it has suffered such as a bankruptcy, a fire, some changes of name, building reforms, periods of inactivity, etc.

In the 17th century the theatre even had a group of fans called the “chorizos” who had daily confrontations with the fans of  the Teatro de la Cruz, the competition, called the “polacos.”

Some of the plays that were released in the Teatro Español were written by authors really well known such as Calderón de la Barca, Benito Pérez Galdós, Jacinto Benavente, Federico García Lorca, Rafael Alberti…  And if that’s not enough, the top Spanish actors have performed at least once in this theatre.

By the way, as off the record, there’s a secret entrance to the theatre at the Prado street, an access easement created when the theatre was a corral de comedias… If you find it, please let me know, I’m really eager to discover it!

You might be wondering why I’m telling you about the Teatro Español history and, although I cannot tell much right now, I promise you’ll discover very soon…


* Popular outdoor theatre set up in the inner patio of a block


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