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Total restoration
of Havana’s Gran Teatro
Yeneily García García (Cubarte)
Havana's Gran Teatro, one of the most important
architectural works of the capital and the country,
is undergoing renovation works estimated at 21
million Cuban pesos, and nine million in convertible
currency (CUC).
Luis Doce, head of investments at the Ministry of
Culture, informed the National Information Agency (AIN)
that this project is the number one priority of his
Ministry, responsible for the funding, budgeted in
2005, and made possible thanks to its own income.
Doce
stated that the Sala García Lorca, the historic
building’s most important hall, has been virtually
demolished, and cutting edge materials and
techniques will be used for its reconstruction, to
ensure the quality of the completed work.
An
Italian company has been contracted for the stage
flooring, and the orchestra pit was negotiated in
China, and work is going ahead in a stable manner so
that, without compromising the satisfactory
completion of the project, the theater is scheduled
to reopen August to September 2014.
He explained that the project began in 2004 with
weatherproofing and the restoration of the cherub
figurines on the roof of the building, located on
Prado between San Rafael and San José streets, as
well as the repair of the dressing rooms, bathrooms
and access areas.
In
order to undertake this total renovation, companies
based at the Gran Teatro, including the National
Ballet of Cuba, have been moved to alternative
venues, which led to other projects, such as the
revitalization of the National Theater of Cuba,
provisionally hosting the National Ballet.
Doce noted that works are also be undertaken on
other parts of the Gran Teatro, including the
adjoining National Cabaret, planned to stage
flamenco in honor of the deceased Spanish dancer
Antonio Gades, with rooms on the first floor,
including a cinema and a museum.
Founded in 1838, the Gran
Teatro of Havana, then named the Tacón in honor of
the Captain General of Cuba, Miguel de Tacón, hosted
from the outset some of the most significant
companies and figures of universal art, including
the ballerina Anna Pavlova, actress Sarah Bernhardt
and the tenor Enrico Caruso.
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