Lleida information
Theatre
Teatre del Escorxador
The former municipal del Escorxador ("slaughterhouse" in English),
a Modernist building from 1918, has become, thanks to thorough
refurbishing works, a beautiful theatre which houses Aula Municipal
de Teatre.
Used as a cultural facility since 1998, the building is provided
with a room with a seating capacity of 310 and another smaller
one for experimental and multi-disciplinary drama. The third stage
room is called Cafè Teatre, a polyvalent room suitable for presentations,
conventions and paratheatrical activities. Frederic Amat is the
author of the impressive painting which dominates in the hall.
It is made up of many horns, to remind us of the former use of
the building, and seven rigid pieces at its bottom. He also made
the three sculptures on the façade (two masks which flank an organic
shape).
Municipal Theatre School
The Escorxador Theatre is also the headquarters of the Municipal
Theatre School. It offers drama studies and interesting performance
workshops and monographic courses. The School's production takes
a large part of the local theatre calendar and has many pupils
of all ages and levels.
International Puppet Theatre Fair
The Puppet Theatre Fair succeeds in filling the most typical sites
of the pedestrian area -plaça Paeria, plaça Sant Francesc, IEI
courtyard and Hort de Santa Teresa- as well as the city theatres
with puppet performances thought for both children and grown-ups.
For four days, from 30/04/04 to 02/05/04, there are up to 40 performances
throughout the day, and each of them becomes a kind of a shop
window, so that programmers from all over the world can hire them.
Lleida is provided with the Centre de Titelles, housed in the
refurbished Convent de Santa Teresa, situated in the heart of
the historical quarter.
Theatre Season
Lleida has a Theatre Season. The public building of Teatre Municipal
de l'Escorxador and the privately-owned one of Teatre Principal
combine a wide offer throughout the year. Its highlights are in
summer and in October and November, when the Mostra de Teatre
Ciutat de Lleida takes place. Also in November there is a programme
which provides the city with first-rate theatre companies from
all over Spain and allow the audience to enjoy the latest performances
in fashion. Teatre Principal arranges its own programme with an
average of one performance a month.