Teatre Monumental

Teatre Monumental is the largest performance venue in Mataró, a coastal town in Catalonia's Maresme region, standing on Carrer de La Riera at number 169. For decades it has served as the town's principal cultural stage, hosting theatre, dance, concerts and original-language film screenings.

How did the theatre begin?

The building's story starts in 1920, when a wooden hall called Bosque opened on the northern edge of town, roofed in uralite and built in the style of a seasonal "summer theatre." Its opening night, on 14 March 1920, featured the acrobatic troupe of Willy Frediani. By 1935 the venue had been renamed Teatre Monumental Cinema, adding film screenings to its programme.

What happened after the 1946 fire?

Disaster struck in July 1946, when fire destroyed the theatre almost entirely. Architect Lluís Gallifa was commissioned to rebuild it, and the new building reopened on 1 January 1950 with a performance of Verdi's opera Aida, staged by the orchestra of Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu — a deliberately ambitious choice signalling the town's ambitions for the venue.

What does the theatre look like now?

Mataró's town council bought the building outright in 1984 and, toward the end of the twentieth century, carried out a thorough renovation: structural updates, an enlarged and modernised stage, new dressing rooms, a cafeteria, and improved lighting and acoustics. The result is an auditorium seating 780 people, split between 548 stalls seats and 232 in the amphitheatre.

What's on at Teatre Monumental?

The programme mixes theatre productions, dance performances, concerts spanning several musical genres, and original-version film screenings. The venue also hosts recurring educational initiatives run jointly with local schools and the municipality, among them Mostra de Teatre Juvenil, Cantània and Tots Dansen, which introduce young residents of Mataró to the performing arts.

How do you get tickets and find the venue?

The theatre sits at La Riera 169, in an easily reachable part of central Mataró. Tickets can be bought online at culturamataro.cat/entrades, in person at the municipal culture office (Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10am to 1pm), or at the theatre's own box office, which opens an hour before each performance. For enquiries, call 93 758 23 61 or email cultura@ajmataro.cat.

Frequently asked questions

How many seats does Teatre Monumental have? The auditorium holds 780 spectators: 548 in the stalls and 232 in the amphitheatre.

When was the current building constructed? The theatre took its present form in 1950, after being rebuilt from the ashes of a 1946 fire to a design by architect Lluís Gallifa.

Does the venue host concerts and films as well as theatre? Yes — alongside theatre and dance, the programme includes concerts and original-language film screenings.

Where exactly is the theatre located? At Carrer de La Riera 169 in Mataró, in the Maresme region of Catalonia.

How can I buy tickets? Online via culturamataro.cat/entrades, at the municipal culture office on set days, or at the theatre box office an hour before the show.