The Thursday
edition of El Universal carries
a ‘what’s on’ section called the Guía
de la Ciudad. It gives brief descriptions of selected coming
events, including music, theater, cinema and exhibitions, along
with short reviews of some restaurants, night spots etc.
Please
note that additional info (prices, activities, etc) are found
to the right of this pages. 
Cinema
Caracas has about 40 cinemas
screening the usual commercial fare, peppered with big- budget
US blockbusters, which come here soon after their release at home.
For some thing more intellectually demanding, check the program
of the Cinemateca Nacional (Ph.
No. 576 71 18), the leading art cinema, in the Galería
de Arte Nacional. Cine La Previsora
(Ph. No.709 1841), in the Torre La Previsora, also focuses
on quality art-house films, as does the cinema in the Ateneo
de Caracas (Ph. No. 577 6965) and the cinema of the Fundación
Celarg (Ph. No. 285 2990), in the Casa de Rómulo
Gallegos, on Avenida Luis Roche in Altamira.
There are usually three afternoon
shows. Films are shown with the original sound track and Spanish
subtitles. A movie ticket costs US$3 to US$5. Programs of both
commercial and art cinemas are listed in the local daily press
(including The Daily Journal).
Theater
There are a dozen regular
theaters in the city. They are usually open from Wednesday to
Sunday, but some have performances only on weekends. Tickets cost
between US$3 and US$8, and there are student discounts in some
theaters. Midweek sessions (usually on Wednesday) may be cheaper
than weekend performances. The Ateneo de Caracas often has something
interesting in its theater, and you can see here the productions
of Rajatabla, Venezuela’s best-known theater company. it
may be also worth checking the programs of La Compañía
Nacional de Teatro, presenting their plays in the Teatro
Nacional (Ph. No. 484 5956), and the Teatro Profesional
de Venezuela, based at the Teatro
El Paraíso (Ph. No. 462 4461,462 6744).
If you are lucky enough to
arrive during Caracas’ Festival Internacional de Teatro,
in March and/or April of even-numbered years, you’ll have
a chance to see some of the best theater productions from Latin
America and beyond. Festival performances are staged at theaters
around the city.
European
Classical Music & Ballet
The city’s major stage
for concerts and ballet, by both local and invited foreign performers,
is Complejo Cultural Teresa Carreño
(Ph. No. 800 673 72). Also check the program of the
Aula Magna (Ph. No. 605 4516), in the Universidad Central
de Venezuela, which hosts performances by the symphony orchestra,
usually on Sunday morning, among other spectacles. Tickets for
Sunday concerts (US$1, half price for students) can
be bought from the Aula’s ticket office directly before
the concerts.
Other places that stage concerts
include the Ateneo de Caracas, Museo Sacro de Caracas, Museo del
Teclado, Quinta Anauco, Centro Cultural
Corp Group, Centro Venezolano Americano and Asociación
Cultural Humboldt. |
