Uruguayan theater is one of the most important in Latin America. With more than 70 operating theaters, the billboard is strikingly extensive and varied with classic and modern shows for the most diverse tastes.

The Solís Theater, inaugurated in 1856, modernized in 1998 and reopened in 2005, is one of the emblematic buildings of the city of Montevideo and, particularly, of the Ciudad Vieja (Old City). As for the strictly theatrical activity, it is the scene of the most multitudinous representations of the National Comedy, dependent on the Departmental Intendancy of Montevideo.
The creation of the Comedia was a step forward in the professionalization of the Uruguayan theater at the time that it was looked for to create a space of programming to the national authors.
The Comedia Nacional presented its first show on October 2, 1947, “El león ciego” (The Blind Lion) by Uruguayan Ernesto Herrera. In 1949, the relevant Catalan actress Margarita Xirgu was appointed artistic director and director of the Municipal School of Dramatic Art. Xirgu’s direction imposed a very particular way of expressing classical theater.
Beyond the prestige of the Comedia Nacional, Uruguayan theater has been nurtured during the 20th century by a vigorous and fermenting independent theater that continues to be a cultural, creative and social pulley of Uruguayan and universal interests.
The Federación Uruguaya de Teatros Independientes (FUTI), is an entity that brings together some twenty theatrical groups from Montevideo characterized by their commitment to artistic activity and the social problems of the country’s inhabitants. Among the institutions with the longest trajectory we refer to: Teatro Italia Fausta (Teatro Anglo Cultural Complex), Teatro La Gaviota (Teatro Stella, Mercedes and Tristán Narvaja), Institución Teatral El Galpón (18 de Julio 1618), Teatro La Candela (Punta Carretas Shopping entrance), Espacio Teatro (Mercedes 865), Teatro Victoria (Río Negro 1479).
The Asociación de Teatros del Interior (ATI) concentrates the main groups of the interior of the country.