Teatro Reina Sofía

Built in 1928 to designs by Antonio García Sánchez-Blanco and paid for by Manuel Guerra Hidalgo to replace the adjoining Teatro del Jardinillo, the house rose over parts of the disentailed convent of Santo Domingo; stucco work and armorial walls from it survive in the lobbies and behind the stage. Benavente's council bought the building in 1984, Francisco Somoza directed the restoration, and Queen Sofía reopened it on 5 April 1991, giving the theatre its present name. Three tiers of boxes ring the stalls, 504 places in all.