Teatre Arnau
Located in Barcelona
At the beginning of the twentieth century the Avenue of “El Paralelo” was the performing arts centre of Barcelona, with its numerous venues and the noisy, bustling atmosphere. The Arnau Theatre is one of the few survivors of that past splendour. The theatre was inaugurated in 1903, and the project was created by the architect Andrés Audet i Puig. The building itself is simple, free from ornamentation and the heavy monumental style of academic architecture. The Arnau had, and still maintains, the everyday appearance of the buildings of El Paralelo, and is especially suited for the uninhibited, lively and stimulating type of performance typical of the area.
It has been closed since the year 2000 and threatened with destruction. In April 2006 the so-called "Vedettes’ army" and a group of artists took over the venue, protesting at the lack of areas destined for cultural purposes. Perhaps as a response to these actions, and the public interest which they awoke, on the 18th of January 2007, the council began processes for its expropriation in order to convert it into a public-owned venue for cultural and recreational activities. This process is however still awaiting resolution, and until the matter is finalised the Arnau continues to be a theatre at risk.
Related Links:
[in Catalan]
El Teatre Arnau, per a la ciutat. 04/07/2007 Ajuntament Barcelona.
[in Spanish]
El Ayuntamiento inicia la expropiación del Teatro Arnau, que será un centro cultural. 18/01/2007 Ajuntament Barcelona.
Un grupo de jóvenes ocupa el teatro Arnau para celebrar cinco días de fiesta. 08/04/2006
Okupan el Teatro Arnau de Barcelona. 08/04/2006
Theatres at risk:
- Bellas Artes
- Betlem de Tirisiti
- Bristol Old Vic
- El Bretón será un gran teatro
- El Gobierno de Aragón convoca finalmente el concurso para la rehabilitación del Teatro Fleta
- Gran Teatro Fleta
- La Violeta
- Sala Beckett
- Teatre Arnau
- Teatre Circo Apolo
- Teatre Mar i Terra
- Teatre Principal
- Teatro Albéniz
- Teatro Bretón
- Teatro Cine Ideal
