CubaPLUS Magazine

The Tomás Terry Theater, pride of the central city of Cienfuegos, in the homonymous province, is part of the trilogy of &Italian style" coliseums, dedicated to art and built in nineteenth-century Cuba following the prevailing fashion.

The other two are the Teatro La Caridad, in Santa Clara, and the Sauto, in Matanzas. Like its peers, both at the time of its inauguration - on February 12, 1890 - and now it is considered a highly prized civic jewel, as it symbolizes the interest in the culture of a Cuban city that flourished and prospered, even under the colonial ties, basically, thanks to the industriousness of its inhabitants and the essential slave labor.

In the case of the Cienfüegos’ theater, the commitment and money of one of the most powerful families in the city, that of the sugar planter and slave lord Don Tomás Terry Adán, were decisive so that the city could have the majestic cultural center.

Mr. Terry was born in Venezuela, but he made his fortune in Cuba and in the early 1860s he was considered the wealthiest man in Cuba. It was a pity that the person who gave the theater its name: Don Tomás, could not even see the fulfillment of his dream begin, since he died in Paris in 1866, after having had to postpone his first attempt at construction.

But No one confuses it for its style and elegance, which distinguishes it from other buildings with a markedly eclectic spirit that was dominant in that fairly young city at the time. The family fulfilled the wish of its successful founder to build a luxurious theater, with boxes distributed around a horseshoe-shaped stage, multi-story, decorated by renowned artists and built with expensive materials visible on its various floors, balconies to stage and  the audience,

also in its portico or pediment and in the stairs and halls.His children and other heirs took it upon themselves to honor his memory by taking part of the inheritance so that it would finally crystallize.

Today a National Monument, the Tomás Terry Theater stands in the historic urban center of beautiful Cienfuegos, charming city on the southern coast of Cuba, very close to its famous Martí Park. With its defining neoclassical style, the Terry was completed in December 1888.

It was finished in November of the following year and the inauguration could only take place with a lavish and careful program on the aforementioned February night, when the leading family managed to meet in the city, where the majority no longer resided. He enjoyed his wealth in Paris. Since then, what was most valuable and shone in world art passed through its stage. From the great Sarah Bernhardt, Anna Pávlova, the mythical Caruso, the immense Arquímedes Pous, the super vedette Rosita Fornés and the egregious Alicia Alonso…

Culture has always had a temple there and a beautiful place to show themselves. The prestigious institution obtained the National Conservation Award in 2008, for having managed to maintain its good condition, the original functionality of the theater and its cultural and social use.