Manuel Bonilla National Theater, Cultural theater in central Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
The Manuel Bonilla National Theater is a pale pink quarry-stone building in central Tegucigalpa. Its symmetrical facade has three arched wood-paneled doors, a balustraded gallery, three large arched windows, and a stepped roofline topped by a shell-shaped ornament. Inside are stalls, boxes, a gallery, foyer, vestibule, cafeteria, and cloakroom, with murals of Honduran landscapes.
In 1905 a committee including Rómulo Ernesto Durón and Froylán Turcios asked President Manuel Bonilla to build a theater for the 300th anniversary of Don Quixote, first named Teatro Cervantes. The decree came on 4 April 1905 and construction took about ten years. Bonilla died in 1913; Francisco Bertrand saw it finished, and it opened on 15 September 1915 with a gala dance.
The theater serves as a gathering place where local artists and audiences participate in the city's cultural life through regular performances and events. It reflects the artistic traditions of Honduras and functions as a social hub for creative expression.
The theater stands in the historic center of Tegucigalpa, near the National Museum of Villa Roy. Inside are stalls, boxes, a gallery, a foyer, a vestibule, a cafeteria and a cloakroom. Around the handrail run 18 floor lamps and 14 standing lanterns. Restoration work begun in 2026 follows a strict critical path, so parts of the building may be closed.
The stage opening once carried a large mural allegorizing the discovery of America; it was later painted over and lost. Five chandeliers of Murano glass hang from a repoussé metal ceiling, and 18 floor lamps plus 14 standing lanterns line the balustrade.
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