After years of sitting in a state of near abandonment, the Cervantes Theater in Tangier is about to get a grand revival. In February 2019, the Spanish and Moroccan governments came to an agreement that the Cervantes Theatre would be gifted to Morocco under the condition that the cultural institution would be fully restored. The discussions also inspired the Northern Kingdom to restore Tangier’s Plaza de Toros (Bull Ring). The approved budget for both is 13 million dirhams (1,180,000 euros) and will be funded by the Council of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region.
The Cervantes Theatre has a capacity of 1,400 seats and will be used for all theatrical forms of expression. Prior to the donation, the theatre had been Spanish property since 1928. An estimated investment of 5 million euros will be directed to its restoration.
The Tangier Bullring was erected in the 1950s. It never succeeded in attracting a consistent audience. It closed down until the 1970’s when it was briefly transformed into a concert hall. The restoration will cost 8 million dirhams (730,000 euros) to restore the building, deemed a national historical monument in 2016. The Moroccan government aims to respect the traditional architecture and facades of the bullring. The transformation of the bullring is intended for cultural purposes. Construction is set to begin in September and has a timeline of 3 years.
The city of Tangier will work together with the School of Architecture of the Polytechnic University of Valencia to stay consistent with preserving the architecture and historical nature of the buildings.