El Galpón Theater, Uruguay

Here we are! We are in front of the headquarters of Teatro El Galpón, one of the most representative independent theater institutions in Montevideo and Uruguay. To understand its cultural value, it is worth knowing its history. This institution was born on September 2, 1949 from the merger of two independent theater groups: La Isla, headed by director Atahualpa del Cioppo, and the Teatro del Pueblo. In the beginning, the artists and collaborators themselves adapted an old stable located on the corner of Mercedes and Carlos Roxlo to convert it into their first room with capacity for 150 spectators, financed by donation vouchers and personal savings. Decades later, in 1964, the continued growth of the project motivated the purchase of the old Gran Palace cinema, on Avenida 18 de Julio, where we are now detained. However, its career suffered a heartbreaking break in May 1976, when the civil-military dictatorship decreed the closure of the institution, the confiscation of its assets and the exile of many of its members. After almost ten years of forced inactivity, the theater managed to reopen its doors in 1985 with the return of democracy to the country. At present, the institution functions at full capacity as an independent cultural center of great dynamism. The headquarters has three performance rooms…

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