STORY: Argentina Teatro Colón Reopening
RUNS: 01:50
SOUND: Spanish/Nat
SOUECE: OWM
Buenos Aires, 2010

Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colón, closed for renovations since November 2006 and reopened on Argentina’s bicentenary, May 25, 2010.

Describing the reopening as a “historic moment” for opera and for the country, García Caffi -head of the theatre – added that the season was aimed at returning the Teatro Colón to its former artistic excellence as one of the top theatres in the world.

The Gala reopening function on May 25 will comprise a selection from Act III of Swan Lake and the short Act II of La Bohème – the most often performed opera at the Colón, which also opens the season on the following evening.

SHOTLIST:
1. Various exterior shots of Colón Theater
2. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish), Pedro Pablo García Caffi, Colón Theatre Director
“Retrieving the theatre is not only to retrieve the building but also to regain certain values, what we were once in cultural terms. Of course, in first place recovering the cultural heritage.”
3.Various of artist and maintenance staff working in the Building
4. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish), Pedro Pablo García Caffi, Colón Theatre Director
“My aim is to reagin little by little what we were, we knew and we lost. While we were working on the building, we also renewed the artistic departments by a 40%. All people working have been and are argentine wit great knowledge, talent and ability.”
5.Various of restoration of the Teatro Colón
6. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish), Pedro Pablo García Caffi, Colón Theatre Director
“Finally, the idea is to update the theatre according to the XXI century demands. Today in Argentina tehre many different things. We are aiming to have an artistic production that beats what the Colón Theatre used to have, with the appropiate staff we are working hard on that direction and we hope to succeed.”
7. Various details