Theatre of the Beneficence in Santa Marta de Ortigueira

In the town of Ortigueira on the north coast of Galicia, the foundation of the convent of Santo Domingo was of great importance at the beginning of the 14th century.

El Teatro de la Beneficencia.

In 1867, plans were made to build a theatre in the former pantry, cellar and granary of the convent. The premises proved to be too small, so it was decided to extend them in 1886.

Structuring the theatre.

The theatre consisted of a rectangular stalls with a slight drop towards the stage, a direct entrance from the cloister, and a stage area raised above the stalls, with two ceiling heights, a narrow spiral staircase leading to bridges and footbridges, very elementary, like all the stage equipment.

Scope of the intervention:

Refurbishment and remodelling works. The intervention was limited to the theatre premises and other adjoining premises whose use was crucial for an up-to-date use. In the refurbishment, renovation and new equipment works, the spectator spaces (stalls and boxes) did not undergo essential alterations, but the stage, backstage and spaces for foyers, relation and vertical entrances for the public did undergo essential alterations. Some of these had never existed and others had been altered, dwarfed and even eliminated. A workshop was set up in a room adjacent to the stage, and dressing rooms and toilets were set up backstage. The projection booth was moved to the first floor, where the lighting and sound control desk was also installed.

In the south-eastern sector, previously occupied in part by the courthouse, public areas were set up: The hall and toilets on the ground floor and the foyer with a small ambiguous room on the first floor are linked to the top floor by means of stairs and walkways that combine in an interesting spatial play.