The National Theatre
A Jewel of the Costa Rican Culture
By Franco Cartín Brenes

Built by the end of XIXth Century, this important architectonic jewel holds a history of tenacity and effort of businessmen, entrepreneurs and visionary governors and after all... an enterprising people. The earthquakes of December, 1888 caused profound and irreparable damages in the structure of the “Teatro Municipal”.

Without a “formal” theatre, Costa Rica faced a strong controversy: theatre groups and itinerant singers of international prestige didn’t include Costa Rica into their plans and itineraries.

Even worse, the diva Adelina Patti refused to appear in a called provisional little theatre “of varieties” (Teatro de Variedades). This “slap” on the Costa Rican’s pride accentuated the aspirations to build a real theatre worth of any figure of the highest reputation.

Powerful retailers and coffee growers took advantage of the favorable economic moment: an increase of the volume and the price of the coffee and asked the Government for the creation of a new tax: $0,05 by every 11,5 kg of exported coffee. This tax would generate a total annual sum of $75,000 to finance the construction of a National Theatre. And thus, on May 28th, 1890 and in spite of the opposition of some de­puties, the Congress voted the project of law. And next, on January 12th 1891, the construction began. So pointed out some newspapers of that time: “El Heraldo”.

Finally the yearned day arrived! Monday was begun to demolish the house that was of Doña Ana Fernandez and other buildings to give space to the foundations of the new theater.

In February of 1891, the Public Works’ Director, the Engineer Nicolás Chavarría concentrated into the making of a strong but beautiful building. He had a goal: A structure to support the earthquakes that had destroyed to the previous theatre, the necessary infrastructural security. He presented a very new system of construction: he formed metal columns stuffed with bricks. In a word, the construction could be compared with a true metallic cage in which the emptiness of the walls would fill with masonry. With these concepts, they started with the foundations of the building. Two years later, only the outer walls looked to be partially finished. They still lacked more than four years, many difficulties and disappointments to conclude the Theatre.

As the construction of the National Theatre was taking more and more ti­me, the financing of the work began to be object of great dispute: The coffee growers after the initial euphoria they began to suffer the tax on the exportation of the coffee grains. So, they began a campaign to force the Government countermanded the law that created this tax. And, it was by May of 1893 when President of the Republic Jose Joaquin Rodriguez, counter manded the tax to the coffee and (by means of a capable political manoeuvre) he transferred the cost of the construction to all the Costa Rican population, by means of the institution of a general tax to the import goods. This tax added to the displeasure causes by the delays in the construction, initiated a timid critic that would finish being a big wave of ironic arguments and another problems that began to come to the public. All these rumors and complains finally end up with the destitution of the Public Work Director; and the Government de cided to contract in Italy to Cristóforo Molinari, a professional architect specialized in theatre buildings. The hiring of this Italian architect successfully allowed the Government to finish the most audacious and difficult construction of our history.

After an expectation of seven years, the inauguration created an impatience climate. And in the year of 1897, already since January, it was announced by the newspapers that the Great Opening would be on September 15th to commemorate the 76th Anniversary of Our Independence. But, some other delays in the decoration, and especially with the seats in the stall, caused that the inauguration was moved for October 12th. Nevertheless, a new delay now related to the arrival of the Operetta Company, forced the Government to fix the day for Thursday October 21st as the official inauguration date. That night, once Mr. Rafael Iglesias Castro, President of the Republic took position of the presidential box, the curtain rose and the cast of the French Operetta Company of M. Pedro Andrés Aubry sang that the old words of the National Anthem and also, the Marseilles. So the National Theatre was being officially inaugurated, among deafening applause. They lowered the drop curtain, to raise it shortly after and to beginning the Opera Faustus of Gounod.

So comments the historian (and former vice president of the Republic) Astrid Fischel Volio, in her book about the Theatre, referring to that first night: “The inauguration of the National Theatre was a reason for a social commotion. Ladies adorned with their best dresses, gentlemen of strict etiquette, the military with their uniforms in full dress, unusual luxury in a capital still characterized by their humble adobe houses, did of this Thursday, October 21st, a date for always unforgettable.

Keep in mind that San José, was a modest urban set with pretensions of a city. Its architectonic appearance was defined by adobe houses and streets made of stone and mud. Then, its rural appearance hardly was altered by few modern design buildings such as Superior School of Young Ladies and the new building of the Bank of Costa Rica”.

The effort made by the President Rafael Iglesias Administration into the construction causes many commentaries.

Nevertheless, we can be sure that the governmental authorities did not skimp a cent so until they see the National Theatre finish in all its glamour. In spite of the hermetic official documents, the total cost of the construction of the National Theater was near the three million “pesos”. This number approximately represented near 65% of the total of the ordinary expenses of the State and a 55% of the total of the exports of the country during the year of 1897.

The most important detail in the history of the National Theater is in a paradox that can only be understood in the Costa Rican idiosyncrasy. As remakes the historian Astrid Fischel Volio: “That in an authoritarian government, the War Secretary, before thinking about investing big amounts of money in weapons and military equipment, was interested personally in a sumptuous artistic project; and that, this same War Secretary, once turned President of the Republic, did not skimp cost nor effort to see crystallized, in a magnificent way, the hope of having a great National Theater “.