Folk Arts Theater
The Tanghalan was commissioned by then First Lady Imelda Marcos for the Miss Universe 1974 Pageant, which was to be held in the country for the first time. It was designed by Leandro V. Locsin and built in a record 77 days in time for the pageant. It was originally built to seat an audience of 10,000. It was not air-conditioned and was designed to allow a natural breeze to flow through.
The theater was inaugurated on July 7, 1974, with an extravagant cultural showcase dubbed "Kasaysayan ng Lahi", which featured a military parade by personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It hosted the international pageant in the same month where Amparo Muñoz of Spain won the title. In 1978, the theater was the venue of the first Philippine Folk Festival, and the first Metropop Song Festival. It was also one of the venues of the Manila International Film Festival, annual Lenten folk presentations, misas de gallo, and an Alamat series depicting Filipino legends or epics through dance and drama.
The theater has hosted many popular musical acts of the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, including Janet Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Paula Abdul, Puerto Rican group Menudo, British pop group 5ive, Pearl Jam, Mr. Big, James Ingram, Gary Valenciano, Martin Nievera, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, and Regine Velasquez, and magician David Copperfield. The Folk Arts Theater is also used by different religious groups. Day by Day Christian Ministries, a large international religious organization, leased the area from 2005 to 2020. They have dedicated the Theatre as Bulwagan ng Panginoón (English: Hall of the Lord).
The building also housed the main office of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists Foundation and the Printmakers Association of the Philippines. The building eventually closed in March 2020 amidst the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. Even before the pandemic, there were already structural damages around the building and the CCP was undergoing a redevelopment process.
References
- ^ Ordinario, Cai (5 March 2020). "Phoenix seen rising from demolition of Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas building". BusinessMirror. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ "Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas (Folk Arts Theater)". Cultural Center of the Philippines. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- ^ De Guzman, S.A. (26 January 2017). "Throwback: Folk Arts Theater, 43 years after first Miss Universe in PH". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- ^ De Guzman, Susan A (26 January 2017). "THROWBACK: Folk Arts Theater, 43 years after first Miss Universe in PH". ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.