La Media Torta, 80 Years of Outdoor Culture
August 13, 1938, 4:00 p.m. The President of the Republic, Eduardo Santos, Mayor Gustavo Santos, the President’s Ministers, the members of the diplomatic and consular corps of England in Bogotá, as well as a large audience, attended the inauguration of the first open-air theater in the city: La Media Torta, located between the Circunvalar and Carrera 2, between Calles 18 and 12 f.
The official delivery of the La Media Torta Open Air Theater was made by the English minister Mr. Paske Smith, who gave a short speech paying tribute to Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, founder of Bogotá. Then the famous German dancer, Erika Klein, performed several classical dances of great effect and the typical music ensemble Bogotá. La Media Torta had a capacity for 500 people at its inauguration and cost approximately ten thousand pesos (COP 10,000).
Portada El Tiempo 14 de agosto de 1938
Álvaro González Villamarín, director of Radiónica, talks about the importance of the capital’s stage: “I believe that La Media Torta is an epicenter of Bogotá’s culture because it has been able to become a space for what one can call popular artistic and cultural expressions; however, it has also become a meeting space of knowledge, of eras, of geographies. Beyond its historical importance, as for many, many decades, it has been a meeting point for families gathered around cultural shows, today it obviously gathers the knowledge of popular music, rock in particular, also tropical music, among other genres. And it is a friendly, magical place, which additionally has that virtue of being very well located, of being next to the mountains, and of definitely being a place of obligatory traffic for artistic expressions. And it is a space that, without a doubt, collects all the cultural perception of Bogotá.”
Colombia had just elected its new president, the liberal Eduardo Santos, and the world was going through critical moments on the eve of the beginning of World War II. Bogotá was in the news thanks to the inauguration of several stages, including El Campín stadium, and was the seat of South American sports thanks to its hosting of the first Bolivarian Games. That was the panorama that would welcome one of the most visited stages by the people of Bogotá.
Afiches Juegos Bolivarianos de Bogotá en 1938 por Sergio Trujillo.
It was born during the celebration of the fourth centenary of the founding of Bogotá, without knowing that 80 years of a free cultural program with the best national and international shows were beginning. Because this space was designed, from its beginnings, for the peasant population that migrated to Bogotá, the working class, and the residents of the area.
In its beginnings, the program sought to be “pedagogical,” with the aim of educating the people through conferences, symphonies and different variations of classical music. It was in the 1950s and 1960s when the inhabitants of the area asked for popular music and, thanks to the rise of Mexican cinema, Rancheras came to the stage in the voices of artists such as Miguel Aceves Mejía, Antonio Aguilar, Pedro Vargas and María Félix. Until the 1970s, La Media Torta was the favorite recreational stage for the working classes.
In the late 1970s, this stage featured renowned international artists. During the administration of Hernando Durán Dussán, Decree 0974, which required the international artists to make free presentations on this stage, was signed. Armando Manzanero, Sandro, Celia Cruz, Mercedes Sosa, Leonardo González, Nelson Ned, Raphael and Leonardo Favio were the protagonists of this obligatory passage through La Media Torta.
After this, La Media Torta entered a long period of decay, insecurity, closures (in 1974) and deterioration of its physical facilities. In 1978, the District Institute of Culture and Tourism was formed, and it rethought the program and remodeled the facilities in 1981, increasing its capacity from 3,000 to 7,000 spectators.
In 1995, between May 25 and 26, the first edition of Rock al Parque would take place in La Media Torta, a festival that hosted in its first edition 43 national bands, among which were groups that are still well known today, such as Aterciopelados and 1,280 Almas. La Media Torta also hosted the beginnings of festivals such as Jazz al Parque, Rap al Parque, Festival de Música Colombiana and Festival Niños y Niñas al Parque.
“La Media Torta has been important for national musicians because it is a stage that challenges you from two perspectives: first, from the technical perspective because you have the people almost in front of you, and second, because it has become a key platform for any Colombian artist who wants to have a solid national and international career. I therefore believe that it is a space where fortunately, also thanks to its very good program, has been able to have an important circulation of Colombian artists,” in the words of the “profe” (teacher) Álvaro González.
Through the “Citizen Culture” project of the government program of Mayor Antanas Mockus, campaigns were carried out between 1997 and 1998 to strengthen the image of La Media Torta, with the aim of turning it into a competitive stage for the city’s recreation needs.
In the celebration of its 75th anniversary, the Instituto Distrital de las Artes - Idartes invited the Mexican band Molotov to celebrate the birthday of the artistic stage and its 86th birthday. The stage is committed to the rhythms of the Pacific and Caribbean, bringing to Bogotá artists such as Shontabrava, Identidad Pacifica, among others. La Media Torta continues with its usual program for young people and families with the “Tortazos” celebrations during the year (Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Virgen del Carmen, Family Day, Love and Friendship, Day of the Candles and the Chiquitortazo).
“La Media Torta is the most important cultural stage in the city, and the Bogotá Mayor’s Office, through the Instituto Distrital de las Artes - Idartes, wants to celebrate its 80th anniversary with two days of excellent programs for all the loyal audiences who have accompanied us on this emblematic stage,” says Carol Aza, coordinator of La Media Torta Open Air Theater.