Costa Rica was one of the special and luxurious guests at the gala to kick off the opera season at the Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain this past week. The masterful performances of the production “Un Ballo in Maschera” were the ideal setting for the reopening of one of the most representative stages of the Spanish capital, but also the showcase for the realization of a cultural “twinning” between Costa Rica and Spain.
This inauguration was attended by the Kings of Spain, Felipe Borbón, and his wife Letizia Ortiz, together with Spanish personalities from politics, television, and film. The evening was used to carry out an audiovisual tribute to the National Theater of Costa Rica, the national symbol of the country within the framework of the 130th anniversary for the laying of the first stone for the construction of the architectural jewel of San José, which occurred precisely in September 1890.
In addition to the images of the iconic building on large-format screens, an innovative video was shown that mixed a presentation of the song, dance, and piano performance by renowned Spanish artists with audiovisual references to the majestic Costa Rican biodiversity.
This audiovisual that invites potential Spanish tourists to visit Costa Rica in the setting of the new normality of the current context will be screened on the 52 multimedia screens of the Teatro Real in Madrid, during the opera season, scheduled from September 2020 to March 2021.
The theater producers have reopened with a strict sanitary protocol, automated temperature measurement stations, disinfection processes of carpets, stands, stage, and other spaces before each function and a reduction in capacity, they project an estimated audience of 200,000 thousand viewers during the season.
For Ireth Rodríguez, Head of Promotion of the ICT “this creative project allows maintaining the connection with potential Spanish tourists with the purchasing power that allows them the possibility of traveling to our country shortly.” Rodríguez added that merging culture and nature generates a powerful and impressive message before enjoying opera in one of the most recognized stages of the Spanish capital.
Natural culture
Under the concept “Discover our natural culture”, it will also be used in the development of a promotional campaign for the destination that addresses and mixes cultural aspects of both countries through the twinning of two national symbols such as the National Theater of Costa Rica and the Royal Theater of Madrid.
The ambassadors of the project will be the flamenco dancer and contemporary dance Rafael Amargo, the pianist Manu Guie and the lyrical singer Sylvia Schwartz, who appear in the audiovisuals showing the best of their talent and expressly express their admiration for Costa Rican nature and biodiversity.
Complementary to the presence of audiovisuals in the opera season, programmatic actions will also be carried out with mobile phones and social networks to carry the message beyond the theater itself and a trip to Costa Rica will be raffled for those who complete a digital trivia and a form on the website www.visitcostarica.es with a specific question: In what year was the construction of the National Theater of Costa Rica ordered?
“In Costa Rica, we greatly appreciate this symbiosis with the environment and the architectural heritage and we celebrate our National Theater, as well as the construction of a better and more prosperous society with the affection and that affinity with culture and nature that has distinguished us in the world,” said Karina Salguero Moya, General Director of the National Theater about this tribute and cultural exchange between both theaters that contributes to the promotion of Costa Rica as a tourist destination.
The development of this promotional alliance was carried out by the Public Relations agency, The Blueroom Project, which provides services to the ICT in Spain, one of the main European markets for tourists.
