One of more than sixty theatres built across Mexico by the social-security institute IMSS in the early 1960s, the Teatro Xola was inaugurated on 28 March 1960 in the Colonia Del Valle of Mexico City. The construction programme, driven by IMSS director Benito Coquet as part of an ambitious social-welfare scheme for the institute's workers, placed cultural venues in capitals across the country, and this was among the first. The building was designed by architect Alejandro Prieto and built under the direction of Luis Zedillo Castillo, and it drew attention from the outset for technical innovations on its stage, including the abolition of the conventional proscenium arch and the installation of a revolving disc to give the space mobility. It opened with a production of Eugene O'Neill's Marco Polo, directed by Ignacio Retes with a cast that included Claudio Brook, Jose Galvez, Jose Elias Moreno and Leonor Llausas. In the 1970s the theatre was renamed in honour of Julio Prieto Posadas, the scenographer who had taken part in its construction. With a fixed, numbered capacity of 501 and a stage opening of around 12 metres, the house has the scale to handle ambitious productions while remaining part of a network of public theatres administered through the IMSS. Across its decades the venue has presented drama, music, dance, variety shows, children's programmes, festivals, circus, conferences and assemblies, with weekend mornings often given over to performances for young audiences. Long-running successes and didactic productions linking the arts with public-health themes have featured on its bill, and the Teatro Xola Julio Prieto remains an active part of the cultural life of the Benito Juarez borough. The revolving stage disc and the removal of the proscenium arch made the house technically notable from the start, and its Italian-style stage carries an opening of around twelve metres. Weekends are often devoted to morning programming for children and teenagers, with staged plays, concerts and circus, while the wider calendar has included long-running hits such as the chiller La dama de negro and didactic pieces addressing public-health themes for young audiences. The theatre hosts festival strands like Puro Teatro and a summer festival for children, and works in coordination with cultural bodies on cycles of accessible theatre. It is served by the Metrobus stop at Amores and the Etiopia Metro station nearby.

Type: Theater / Concert Hall

Address: Avenida Xola 809, Mexico City, Mexico, 03100

Telephone: 55 5639 9816

Capacity: 501

Opening Date: 28/03/1960