Corral de Comedias

The Corral de Comedias de Almagro is the only one that has been preserved intact and active since the early seventeenth century to the present day. The Corrales de Comedias used to coincide with the courtyards of inns, inns or tenement houses, in which, taking advantage of their own characteristics, they were adapted for the performances of comedies during the Spanish Golden Age. In the XVIII century the closing of the Corrales was decreed, transforming some of them into Italian-style theaters, although most of them were gradually demolished. The Corral de Comedias de Almagro was built in 1628 by Leonardo de Oviedo from a remodeling of the old Mesón del Toro. The reform consisted in the construction of a stage, while in the remaining corridors, where the public would be located, the compositional scheme of the Plaza Mayor was imitated. The courtyard was used as a place of access to the rest of the rooms that surrounded its wooden framework, both when it was used as a scenic space and as an inn. Later, when it became the Posada de las Comedias, the different structures were covered to make better use of a space that was segregated horizontally by the adjoining properties. In 1954 this Corral was discovered and its patio was bought by the Town Hall. After successive restorations, it now functions as a theater and hosts an intense activity, not only during the International Classical Theater Festival, but also the rest of the year.