The Mérida International Classical Theatre Festival is, with its 90 editions, the oldest classical theatre festival of all those held in Spain and is considered to be the most important of its kind.
The performances are held annually during the summer months, and every year thousands of spectators pass through the stands to enjoy watching theatre in one of the oldest theatres still in use, which is also considered to be one of the most representative buildings of Roman architecture from the time of Emperor Augustus.
The Festival began in 1933 with the staging of Seneca's Medea, in a version by Miguel de Unamuno with the actress Margarita Xirgu in the leading role. After another edition in 1934, and due to the political tension in Spain, it was suspended until 19 years later, resuming its activity in 1953 with the performance of the play Fedra by a university theatre company.
This summer marks the 90th anniversary of that great premiere, although the theatre began more than 20 centuries ago, and has therefore been an indisputable witness to the history of the Performing Arts in our country. The most prestigious national and international theatre professionals have paraded on its stage. Correos wanted to issue a stamp with a night-time image of one of the performances.
Jesús Cimarro, with his company Pentación Espectáculos, has directed and managed the festival from 2012 to the present day. Between the 58th and 68th editions, it has managed to recover local audiences and has consolidated the influx of audiences from the rest of Spain, making it one of the three most important summer cultural events with the greatest repercussion according to the national press.
