Once again this year, opera is stepping outside the walls of Madrid’s Teatro Real to reach the public completely free of charge and right on the street: as part of the eleventh edition of Opera Week, Plaza de Isabel II, in front of the theater, will once again be filled with chairs so that anyone can enjoy a live opera broadcast.
The free opera screenings will be available from this Thursday, July 9, through Sunday, July 12. Admission to the event is free and on a first-come, first-served basis until the 1,100-person capacity is reached.
Given the positive reception this initiative has received in previous years, it’s advisable to arrive early to ensure you get a seat.
All screenings, meanwhile, will take place at 8:30 p.m. to allow time for the heat to subside. However, it’s a good idea to bring a fan or handheld fan—and, above all, water—to beat the heat.
Which operas will be broadcast for free in Plaza de Isabel II?
A total of four operas have been scheduled, distributed as follows throughout the week:
- Thursday, July 9, at 8:30 p.m.: *Romeo and Juliet* by Charles Gounod, starring Nadine Sierra and Javier Camarena.
- Friday, July 10, at 8:30 p.m.: Live broadcast of Giuseppe Verdi’s *Il trovatore* from the stage of the Real.
- Saturday, July 11, at 8:30 p.m.: Bedřich Smetana’s entertaining opera, *The Bartered Bride*.
- Sunday, July 12, at 8:30 p.m.: Dance takes center stage with *Swan Lake: The New Generation*, “an iconic, radical take on Tchaikovsky’s classic that challenges the norms of classical ballet, courtesy of choreographer and artistic director Matthew Bourne.”
Free tours of the Teatro Real
In addition to the screenings, on Sunday, July 12, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (with last admission at 2:30 p.m.), the Teatro Real will hold its Open House, during which it will show visitors—also free of charge— the building’s most iconic spaces.
