Cinema Theater

The island of Mallorca is also a privileged place to enjoy the art of Talía and Melpómene; comedy and tragedy: the two sides of the theater. The number of halls and auditoriums dedicated to the performing arts on the island is almost dazzling. Ready to laugh, get excited and enjoy this tour through the theaters of Mallorca.

We start with the capital of the island, Palma, where a large number of rooms are concentrated. Here we find the luxurious Auditorium. Built in 1969 and located right in the middle of the bay, this Performing Arts and Congress Center has nine rooms in total; two of them, Sala Magna and Sala Mozart, are equipped as theaters and host concerts, performances, musicals and all kinds of shows. The history of the Teatre Principal, for its part, dates back to 1667, when it was inaugurated as “Casa de las Comedias”. After suffering a fire that completely destroyed it in 1858, it reopened as “Teatro de la Princesa”. Its interior decoration is the responsibility of Felix Cagé, who is also responsible for the “Gran Teatre del Liceu” located in Barcelona. Fundamental referent of the Balearic scenic arts, it hosts opera, dance, theater and music. Teatre Sans also has a lot of history: located in a Gothic building (XIV-XV centuries) of the old town, it is owned by the cooperative Estudi Zero and also houses the School of Performing Arts.

We continue in Palma de Mallorca with the Teatre del Mar, built in 1940 and rehabilitated in the 90’s to become a multi-purpose room with stable programming between October and June. The resident company of the room is the “Iguana Teatre”. More recent is the Trui Teatre, located in the La Salle school complex and inaugurated in 2010. It hosts all kinds of shows. We can still highlight two other rooms in Palma, both with the names of local actors. The Teatre Municipal Xesc Forteza pays homage to the Mallorcan comedian and is in the neighborhood of Sa Calatrava. It also houses the Municipal Conservatory of Music. For its part, the Teatre Municipal Catalina Valls is named after a beloved actress and playwright born in Palma and died just a few years ago. In addition to programming performing arts and concerts, it hosts book presentations.

Undoubtedly, another of the scenic referents of Mallorca is the Auditori d’Alcudia, a rabidly modern building with simple forms and pure materials – glass, concrete, wood, steel – inaugurated in 2000 and which seems to challenge the medieval city that is reflected, distorted, in its glass front. Luxury cultural equipment with a stable program that includes theater, music, dance and even cinema and one of the most important architectural works of the 21st century on the island: another of the great theaters of Mallorca.

Up to three facilities suitable for performing arts are found in the coastal town of Calvià. The one with the most pedigree is Sa Societat, an early 20th century building recovered by the City Council for culture. Its programming includes theater, cinema and concerts. Sa Societat also houses a social center and neighborhood associations. The theatrical offer of Calviá is completed by the Auditori de Peguera (which includes an auditorium, multipurpose room and conference room) and the Recollect Sala Palmanova, designed for small- scale performances and concerts.

For its part, the town of Manacor offers two proposals. The Auditori – inaugurated in 2012 – is one of the most recent cultural infrastructures in Mallorca. The architects Xavier Fabré and Lluis Dilme, responsible for the reconstruction of the Liceu de Barcelona after its fire, participated in its design. It has a main room with almost 800 seats. For its part, the Municipal Theater hosts up to four rooms and its foundation has been organizing the Fira de Teatre de Manacor for more than 20 years, one of the major Balearic events in the world of performing arts.

There’s two other theaters in Mallorca stand out for the peculiarity of their proposals: The Teatre Escénic de Campos was inaugurated with the new century thanks to the push of Miquel and Toni Fullana of the Pometes Teatre company.  While the Teatre Lloseta – from 2002 and located in the town of the same name – program from September to June Theater, dance and a lot of concerts, having become a reference of indie in Mallorca.

Finally, it is worth mentioning the powerful network of municipal theaters on the island, which provides facilities for the performing arts to locations such as Santanyí, Muro, Vilafranca de Bonany, Son Servera (Teatre Municipal La Unió), Alarò, Artà, Capdepera, Petra (Teatre Es Quarter, in the former barracks of the Civil Guard), Andratx (Teatre Municipal Sa Teulera) or the Sa Mániga Auditorium in Cala Millor (Sant Llorenç des Cardassar), which hosts the annual Dansamàniga international dance festival.

Lovers of performing arts can also enjoy their passion in some of the many theaters of Mallorca; an island that, far beyond its tourist attractions, makes a firm commitment to culture and is marked by the legacy of universal artists such as Joan Miró.