A community theatre, also known as the Bretón de los Herreros Theatre or simply the Bretón Theatre. It can be found in Logroño's historic district and had its grand opening on September 19.

Félix Navarro, the building's architect, based his design on the Teatro Gijón. This theatre played host to the first public screening of a cinematographic film in the city on November 18, 1896. One of the most significant exhibition centres in the country.

These were performed in the 19th century, when Logroo still had its Corral de las Comedias, which had first opened in 1604 and been constructed, as was the case in many towns, on the grounds of the old Hospital de la Misericordia to aid the sick with proceeds from its performances. In 1839, the Town Council intended to build new theatre facilities in the former Episcopal Palace for this altruistic reason and because the corral had become very dilapidated. From that time until 1879, many projects came and went, but none were completed due to lack of funding. In a time when Logroo had nowhere to hold performances, the privately owned Liceo, which had been constructed in 1868, was made available. Cesáreo Sáenz Balmaseda claims that the Liceo on Calle Ruavieja was inadequate to meet the needs of the city's theater-loving populace.

Because "seats were sought, especially those of preference, three or four days in advance," "the performances had to be repeated to accommodate everyone."

Construction

The Municipality of Logroño, led by D. Diego de Francia, Marquis of San Nicolás, issued a proclamation in 1879 encouraging locals to contribute 500 reales each toward the construction of the theatre so that the city could build a coliseum. Not enough was collected, despite the fact that Espartero, Sagasta, and the Marquis of Murrieta were among the donors.

To that end, it was decided to "open a competition for the presentation of projects and award the work to whoever had the best conditions, giving him as a subsidy the site and the six thousand duros from the subscription obtained," as noted in the municipal minutes. This is how it ended up happening. On the final day of the deadline, Don Félix Navarro, an architect from Zaragoza, presented the plan to build the Logroo theatre. The mayor gave his approval to buy land and hire Félix Navarro, an architect, to construct a theatre inspired by the Gijón Theatre. The current site of this theatre was chosen after five others were ruled out (the Calle Mayor, the Plaza del Mercado, the gardens of the Sagasta Institute, and the Espolón).

Plays by author Bretón de los Herreros were performed there to mark the opening. There were 700 seats in the horseshoe-shaped auditorium's three levels of box seating. Once known as the Teatro Quintana, the building is now called the Teatro Principal. In 1902, the Spanish playwright, poet, and journalist Manuel Bretón de los Herreros had his theatre renamed in his honour by the City Council.
Reforms

The theatre was purchased by the Caja de Ahorros Municipal in 1901, after which it underwent extensive renovations led by architects Ignacio Velasco and Luis Barrón. These included changes to the building's structure, roof, and especially its facade, which remain in place to this day. The ceilings, glass chandeliers, and railings of the existing boxes were all kept in place during the renovation. A stage, orchestra pit, and backstage area were all built into a basement.

Daniel Trevijano bought the theatre in 1917.

Adjustments were made to the building's framework in 1919. After that, in 1951, the architect Gonzalo Cadarso performed a major renovation that gave the theatre its current look: horseshoe-shaped boxes in the front and two amphitheatres in the back, the highest of which was topped with fixed wooden bench seats.

The reconstruction included many notable additions, such as a larger stage pit, a larger orchestra pit, and a larger dressing room area. Although the building's structure and distribution were renovated, resulting in larger dimensions at the expense of the antepalcos and foyers that had previously existed, efforts were made to preserve as much of the main hall's character and decoration as possible.

On August 25, 1983, it was designated as a Monumental Cultural Asset.

Inferno and transitional period

The theatre experienced a devastating blaze on the evening of December 24, 1979. Renovated in May 1990, it was officially opened in the presence of Queen Sofia and transferred to the city. Construction began in 1986.

The theater's last renovation was staged over the course of the summers of 2008, 2009, and 2010 to minimise disruptions to performances.