Teatro Real

Teatro Real

Main façade towards Plaza de Oriente
Location	Madrid, Spain
Coordinates	40°25′06″N 3°42′37″W / 40.41833°N 3.71028°W / 40.41833; -3.71028
Public transit	Ópera
Operator	Fundación del Teatro Real
Type	Theatre
Genre(s)	Opera
Capacity	1,958 seats
Construction
Broke ground	23 April 1818
Built	1818–1850
Opened	19 November 1850 (1850-11-19)
Reopened	11 October 1997
Rebuilt	1991–1997
Architect	Antonio López Aguado Custodio Moreno Renovation: Jaime González Varcárcel Miguel Verdú Belmonte Francisco R. Partearroyo
Spanish Cultural Heritage
Type	Non-movable
Criteria	Monument
Designated	30 June 1993
Reference no.	RI-51-0008289

The Teatro Real (Royal Theatre) is an opera house in Madrid, Spain.^[1][2] Located at the Plaza de Oriente, opposite the Royal Palace, and known colloquially as El Real, it is considered the top institution of the performing and musical arts in the country and one of the most prestigious opera houses in Europe.

The groundbreaking of the Teatro Real was on 23 April 1818, under the reign of King Ferdinand VII, and it was formally opened by his daughter Queen Isabella II on 19 November 1850. It closed in 1925 due to damage to the building and reopened on 13 October 1966 as a symphonic music venue. Beginning in 1991, it underwent major refurbishment and renovation works and finally reopened as an opera house on 11 October 1997. It has a floor area of 78,210 square metres (841,800 sq ft) and a maximum capacity of 1,958 seats.

Since 1995, the theatre is managed by a public foundation in whose Board of Trustees are represented the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Spain, the Government of the Community of Madrid and the City Council of Madrid. Since 1998, its principal orchestra is the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid.

In addition to its regular annual program of opera, dance, concerts and recitals, the theatre has hosted other special events throughout its history, such as the 14th Eurovision Song Contest in 1969, the 25th Goya Awards in 2011 or the Lotería Nacional's Christmas special draw since 2012. The Teatro Real received the "Opera Company of the Year" award at the 2020/21 International Opera Awards.^[3] The building is listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural since 1993.