The Teatro Pérez Galdós is a cultural institution boasting more than a century full of history. Throughout this period, the “Teatro” or the “Pérez Galdós” – those being the terms more commonly known to the citizens of the capital city – is no longer considered as the sole reference point of the scenic arts of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, but is also the focal point of the culture and political life of the city and the Island.
With the passing of the years, the Teatro has undergone diverse restructuring and a change of denomination, none of which was at the expense of its notoriety or of the cultural life of the city. On the contrary, as after every stage of the alterations a social relaunching occurred, new expectations and greater cultural possibilities were conjectured. For this reason the re-opening of its doors has always been multitudinous and welcomed with great enthusiasm by the citizens.
This is due to the fact that the Teatro, since being founded, has been the cultural focal point in this city and subsequently spread to the rest of the Island. From the very onset the Teatro was characterized as a fundamental institution which would not only mark the pulse of the political and social life of the areas close to Vegueta y Triana, but likewise throughout the whole area.
At the onset it was unthinkable that the Teatro could be such an important incentive for the city, as when being founded, it was thought that the main aim was merely to entertain an emergent society with certain aspirations that simply enjoyed fine airs and had tumultuous expectations at the beginning of the 20th century. However, the city of Las Palmas soon experienced a deep economic, social and cultural transformation due not only to the geostrategic conditions of its location but also to the circumstances of the people who lived there.
Throughout the years the city has continued to grow and the Teatro has continued to mark the guidelines of the evolution, being a decisive influence in the social and political life of the city up to the present day. The Teatro Pérez Galdós is an architectural allegory, a social distinctive symbol and an unavoidable political benchmark of the capital city and also of the Island.
Jerónimo Saavedra Acevedo
Chairman of the Teatro Pérez Galdós Canary Islands’ Foundation (2007)
