Entertainment

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.

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.

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