After eight years of closure, Teatro Aracy Balabanian reopens with the promise of boosting the culture of MS | Mato Grosso do Sul

José Octavio Guizzo Cultural Center reopens its doors this Tuesday

After eight years of closure, the Aracy Balabanian Theater reopens to the public on Tuesday night (2), with the play “The Baron’s true story”. The space is part of the José Octávio Guizzo Cultural Center, which will also be reopened, with the promise of boosting the culture of Mato Grosso do Sul. See more details above

The cultural space was away from art for two years, during which time it kept its doors closed. After revitalization, the architectural complex has a structure for holding dance, music, art, theater and exhibition workshops.

The renovation cost R$11 million and the space most awaited by the public to be reopened is the Aracy Balabanian Theater, which had its doors closed since 2016, due to infrastructure problems.

The Cultural Center houses rooms named after personalities related to culture, such as the Aracy Balabanian Theater, Rubens Corrêa Convention Room, Conceição Ferreira Rehearsal Room, Wega Nery and Ignês Corrêa da Costa Exhibition Galleries. It also has a Central Room, Music Room and Arts Studio.

The space coordinator, Lucia Kreutzer, highlights that this is the first complete renovation of the José Octávio Guizzo Cultural Center, which has a historic structure. “Now, we finally got enough investment to do all this work. It is the first time in 40 years that it has actually had a structural renovation, all the electrical and hydraulic parts have been changed, it is a very old building, with an equally historic architecture..”

José Octávio Guizzo was a lawyer, historian, folklore scholar, filmmaker, talent stimulator, cultural producer, musician, poet and former president of the State Culture Foundation.

The new project included the installation of air conditioning, the expansion of dressing rooms, the implementation of a pocket theater, adaptation of the theater’s acoustics, scenic engineering and sound, rooms equipped for arts and new furniture.

Theater director and actor, Vitor Samúdio, describes that the reopening of the Aracy Balabanian Theater is a gift for the artists who started on the stage that pays homage to the actress who was born in Campo Grande. “It’s a popular theater, it’s a theater where hundreds, I think thousands of artists have already set foot, so this reopening is filled with a lot of affection, a lot of emotion”.