Teatre Calderon

The Teatre Calderón in Alcoi opened on 2 December 1902 as a theatre established by the Cercle Catòlic d'Obrers, with a performance of the zarzuela La tempestad. It acquired the Calderón name shortly afterwards. A substantial alteration in 1944 adapted the premises for cinema use. Following a later municipal restoration, it reopened in March 2007 with an auditorium of approximately 750 seats and an orchestra pit. The theatre on Plaça d'Espanya forms part of the city's provision for staged drama, music and other performances. Alcoy's musical energy runs first of all through its wind bands, which sustain the Moors and Christians processional repertoire and have made the town one of the strongholds of the Valencian band tradition. The Calderón is the indoor counterpart to all that street music: the theatre where drama, zarzuela, concerts and touring opera reach the same public under a roof. In an industrial town in the hills behind Alicante, it does the ordinary and necessary work of a municipal stage.