MADRID, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The Teatro Real (or Royal Theater) in Spanish capital Madrid will broadcast its productions in China.
Between June and October, the 200-year-old theater is to broadcast nine of its productions live in China, with the collaboration of the Cervantes institute in Beijing.
The move is a further step along the theater's policy of moving closer to China, thanks to an agreement signed on Dec. 30, 2016 to become part of the International Silk Road of Theaters, a platform created by the Chinese government to promote artistic exchange between theaters in China and other participating nations.
"It was a magnificent idea and a chance to link the Teatro Real with Chinese culture," the theater's Director General Ignacio Garcia-Belenguer told Xinhua Monday.
Starting on June 2, the theater will be offering Chinese people the chance to see nine works, including famous operas like Don Giovanni, Carmen, and Madame Butterfly in the Cervantes Institute in Beijing.
The works will also be broadcast live to Chinese audience with subtitles in both English and Spanish.
"We want to show the activity we carry out in the Teatro Real and open the door for Chinese public to 'Opera in Cinema'. We think it is interesting for the Chinese public as they can get to know more about opera and also the the Teatro Real," said Garcia-Belenguer.
Garcia-Belenguer said the theater also welcomes Chinese opera to stage in Spain.
"That would show the true value of the cultural exchange. If companies such as those in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong could bring their activity to the Teatro Real, it would be very interesting," said the director general.
The story of the Teatro Real, which has seats for around 1,800 spectators, dates back to 1817, when King Ferdinand VII ordered a decree for the Plaza de Oriente where it is situated, to de developed and an opera house be built.
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the decree ordering its construction.
Meanwhile, the theater is also to start offering guided tours in Chinese, offering the ever increasing number of Chinese tourists in Spain the chance to discover the insides of the theater building.
The theater has 12 different rehearsal spaces for singers, dancers and musicians, as well as numerous workshops to make the costumes, scenery and even the wigs.
Rather than just a theater, it is a factory, a community, and a historic structure dedicated to opera, as well as a must-see visit for any music lover who comes to Madrid.
