On the 8th of September 1885, the theatre La Caridad opened its doors for the first time, which owes its name to the noble attitude of its benefactor Doña Marta Abreu de Estévez, who donated all her funds for the benefit of the poor. This prestigious lady wanted to endow Santa Clara, her hometown, with an exquisite piece of architecture, which preserves in its interior valuable mural and easel paintings, its original woodwork, wood carvings and marble busts representing Echegaray and Calderón de la Barca, two important Hispanic playwrights.
The theatre is the most important cultural centre in Villa Clara and one of the most prestigious stages in Cuba, where famous figures and companies of world renown have performed, among them: Enrico Caruso, Libertad Lamarque, Jorge Negrete, Rosita Fornés, the Lola Flores Company, Chucho Valdés, Alicia Alonso and the National Ballet of Cuba, the Enrique Arredondo Theatre Company and the Codanza Company, among others.
