Performing Arts

Santiago [1] has many live theater and music venues, with a range of offerings from serious classical and contemporary drama to vulgar burlesque, and from traditional folk to rock and classical; the best place to find current offerings is the entertainment section of the daily El Mercurio.

The landmark Teatro Municipal (Agustinas 794, tel. 02/3690282) is Santiago’s most prestigious performing-arts venue, hosting classical music, opera, and occasional popular musicals. Only opening performances are truly formal, and Santiaguinos sometimes appear in surprisingly casual clothes; during opera performances, the theater projects a Spanish translation of the libretto above the stage so that it’s easier to follow the plot (if you read Spanish).

Musicians rave about the acoustics at the Teatro Universidad de Chile (Av. Providencia 043, tel. 02/6345295), best known for ballet and classical music, though it hosts the occasional rock event.

The Centro Cultural Estación Mapocho, occupying the restored former northern railway station at Balmaceda 1301, houses two important playhouses: the Teatro Casa Amarilla (tel. 02/6720347) and the Teatro Estación Mapocho (tel. 02/7356046). Other Santiago Centro locales include the Teatro Nacional Chileno (Morandé 25, tel. 02/6717850); the Universidad de Chile’s Sala Agustín Sire (Morandé 750, tel. 02/6965142); and the smallish Teatro La Comedia (Merced 349, tel. 02/6391523). South of the Alameda, the capacious Teatro Monumental (San Diego 850, tel. 02/6922000) showcases rock and pop music.

Repertory groups play Bellavista [2] venues like Teatro Bellavista (Dardignac 0110, tel. 02/7356264), Teatro El Conventillo (Bellavista 173, tel. 02/7774164), and Teatro La Feria (Crucero Exeter 0250, tel. 02/7377371). The most unusual is the Teatro del Puente (Parque Forestal s/n, tel. 02/7324883), on a bridge straddling the Mapocho.