Theatre critic “El Cronista” of the Spanish language newspaper “El Tucsonense” described the theatre as having “comfortable, roomy seating, good lighting and magnificent artistic décor accompanied by the high level of artistic performance with which it was inaugurated provide a new note to our art and society. Teatro Carmen was a truly unique regular location for companies producing theatrical works in Spanish. The popular Elysian Grove outdoor theatre and the Opera House occasionally featured Mexican dramas or operas, but these productions were presented in an alternating calendar with English productions. This event changed the cultural life of Tucson, as other contemporary performing arts facilities either focused on silent films (El Royal) or minor dramatic productions (El Clifton). Caballero - El do de La Africana en Tucson, adaptation of El. It opened on May 20, 1915, with the play “Cerebro y Corazon” (Head and Heart) by Farias Isassi. Bellini - Norma (cover) Bizet - Carmen Britten - Albert Herring - Act I, Scene 1. She designed the theatre as a dedicated Spanish and Mexican cultural center.

The Vasquez family bought the land for the theatre in 1853 from local landowner Leopoldo Carrillo, and in 1914 family patriarch Ramon Vasquez passed it on to his wife, Carmen Soto de Vasquez.

Carmen opera tucson