History
A descendent of the tradition of cine-theaters, which stimulated the country’s cultural life from the mid 20th century onwards, this Theater takes on its place as a depositary of a history of over 60 years and, essentially, a space for building the present and the future.
Inaugurated on the 31st of March of 1951, Teatro Micaelense was designed by the renowned architect Raul Rodrigues de Lima, a specialist in cinema and theater rooms.
Through the initiative of Francisco Luís Tavares, director-delegate of the Companhia de Navegação Carregadores Açorianos, and with the support of the São Miguel society of the time, then emerged in Ponta Delgada a sizeable theater, in an urban space specifically stripped to host it.
The 1000 seats of the performance hall and the amplitude and quality of the finishes of the Noble Hall were impressive to audience and visitors. Among these visitors the actor John Wayne is worthy of mention, who in the 60’s was welcomed here by Santos Figueira, manager of Teatro Micaelense from its opening through to the end of the 20th century. For about four decades, Teatro Micaelense served the island of São Miguel with regular programming, having become one of the most important structures of São Miguel’s social and cultural life.
From the mid-80’s onwards, the fall in revenue which affected cine-theaters throughout the world, alongside with the deterioration of the building, led to inactivity and, later, closed doors.
Rehabilitated by the Azores Regional Government, Teatro Micaelense reopened its doors to the public on September 5th 2004, under the project of architect Manuel Salgado.
In the old performance hall the second circle was suppressed, for there to be installed the control rooms and simultaneous translation booths. The entire system of technical installations was redone as to ensure the comfort and safety conditions of the users and to assure the installation of stage equipment which fulfills the technical requisites necessary to answer contemporary demands. The refining of the contemporary aesthetic options and the charm of the 20th century 50’s structures come together in a new building, dating half a century’s existence.
With new attributes and quality program content, the options in cultural offer were widened and doors were opened to congresses and business meetings, as it became endowed with the most modern equipments and reclassified in terms of use of space.
Since then, Teatro Micaelense – Cultural Center and Congress Hall is seeing new life, open to the constantly changing world that it inhabits and is truly a Center of activity in the island of São Miguel.
For its historical and architectural value, the building of Teatro Micaelense was classified as Public Interest Site by the Azores Regional Government.