Major opera houses of Spain and China sign collaboration deal

MADRID - Madrid's Teatro Real (El Real) and the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing, the major opera houses in Spain and China, have signed an agreement of collaboration to promote cultural exchanges between the two sides.

El Real announced the signing on Wednesday, saying both institutions are working on different projects that aimed at exchanging opera productions, co-producing and broadcasting opera plays.

"The Marriage of Figaro and Madama Butterfly will be broadcasted in 10 Chinese cities within the framework of the third edition of the International Opera Film Festival," said El Real.

The opera film festival, according to El Real, will gather important opera theaters such as the Metropolitan Opera House of New York, the Royal Opera House of London or the Mariinski Theatre of San Petersburg.

The Spanish theatre itself will also broadcast NCPA productions, including Chinese traditional opera, they said.

Within the framework of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Spain, the NPCA, which was opened in 2007, will broadcast the opera Carmen by Bizet, directed by Antonio Gades.

The theatre also reported that nine plays produced by El Real can be seen at the Instituto Cervantes, which promotes Spanish culture around the world, in Shanghai.