Popular theater
“A stage full of History and Art Melico Salazar”
By Franco Cartín Brenes

The opera singer Manuel Salazar, better known as “Melico Salazar,” was born on the 3rd of January, 1887. His talent and artistic career gave him world wide fame. The Melico Salazar Theatre was named in his honor with a view to it be coming a “home” for culture and popular art. Melico Salazar died in August 1950, but his legacy and his name have lived on through the years in this theatre.

A corner of artistic accomplishments and history. In 1859 before the arrival of important business men from the United State and England, the President of Costa Rica, Don Juan Rafael Mora Porras (Don Juanito) ordered that band of the capital to play the national anthems of the respective countries of the visitors.

A foreigner, involved in the welcoming, asked if the Costa Rican national anthem would be played along side the others... Very concerned, Don Juanito Mora, requested that the musician, Don Manuel Maria Gutierrez, composed an anthem... The national anthem of Costa Rica if he refused he would be incarcerated for a month.

Unfortunately Don Manuel Maria Gutierrez ran out of time and as a consequence was imprisoned at the Cuartel de Armas... where he looked through a small window out onto the Plaza Mayor, feeling inspired he composed the music for the anthem. On the 11 of June, 1852, at the Palacio Nacional, the national anthem of Costa Rica was heard for the first time alongside those of the United States and England.

History as part of the present

“The existing site where the Teatro Popular Melico Salazar currently stands is the same place where the adobe and bahareque building El Cuartel de Armas (armery), of the city of San José once stood.

The armery is the place where the composer Manuel María Gutiérrez was held after refusing to compose the national anthem. “This event makes the corner of the Melico Salazar, the first site where a creative act of a national transcendental nature occurred”, said Giancarlo Protti, director of the Teatro Melico Salazar for more than three years.

“Later on, during the middle of 1926...” continues Giancarlo Protti, ...” whilst walking through the corridors of the theatre, located on the corner of Central Park, a busi­nessman from Spain, Jose Raventós bought the property and built a theatre for the Costa Rican population, where they could experience Spanish comedies and the latest operettas from Spain, his native land.

The project was carried out under the supervision of the architect and amateur play writer Don José Fabio Garnier Ugalde, who was given the task of designing the Teatro Raventós. On the 8th of February 1927 the construction of the building began.”

In a city much like that of San José, where you can count the few all buildings on just one hand, erecting a building of the size of the Teatro Raventós with a capacity for 2,250 spectators, was a monumental task ... According to figures, it is estimated that the complete building (including the construction, furnishings and decoration of the theatre) has an approximate cost of 800,000 to 900,000 colones.

The Grand Opening

The Raventós Theatre opened its doors in the night of the 7th of October of 1928 with a gala, with a presentation of the magazine “Kiss me”. The President of the Republic, Sr. Cleto González Víquez, was also present. This night was a perfect night for high Costa Rican society displaying their glows.

A movie theater and viceversa

Up to the year 1929 Raventos Theater had begun its life as a cinema. A new gallery was built in 1960 as a result of its growing popularity and technological development of that time. On the opening of this new gallery the cinemascope screen was used for the first time. But a few years later, in 1967, on the dawn of the 23th of April, a fire destroyed the main halls of the Theater.

The first pre opening

At the beginning of the 70’s the Culture Ministry proposed to buy the Raventos Theatre with the idea of turning it into a Popular Theatre. It was until the administration of Profesor Guido Sáenz (then and currently Minister of Culture) that the Theatre was finally bought.

On the 13th of December in 1981 took place a pre opening under the name of Teatro de la Cultura Melico Salazar, Bizet’s masterpiece “Carmen” was the performance. This opening counted with the presence of President Rodrigo Carazo Odio. But the remodeling have not been finished yet and after the show the Theatre was closed to the public again.

Second opening During his administration, President Luis Alberto Monge, the Culture Minister Hernán Gonzáles and a significative part of government sectors joined efforts to finish the second phase of the remodeling process. The Theatre was officially opened the 6th of March of 1985.

A new Facade to the “Melico”

In 2002, Profesor Guido Sáenz is once more in charge of the Ministry of Culture and worried for the well being of the national culture, he decides to set a group of young and experimented generation of artists as directors of this enterprise. This is how Giancarlo Protti Ramírez, managing director of the Melico Salazar Theatre, creates the Scenic Production Department to carry out artistical projects related to the development of the country.

Going beyond, he takes an additional risk

To rescue the Melico’s facade. Rescuing the Melico’s Facade damaged by time and pollution effects. The cost of this enterprise that is approximately 900 million colones, will be covered in a 50% by the Theatre and the rest by contributions of the private enterprise.

If you are walking in the Central Park you will see workers going to and from working hard in the restoration. In spite of all this activity, the Melico Salazar Theatre has not closed its doors and it will continue offering art and culture to all its visitors.