The creation of the Granada Festival of Music and Dance in 1952 gave rise to the idea of a theatre within the monument.
To launch the International Festival of Music and Dance, the Generalife gardens were extended southwards, and a large open-air theatre was built at their end, inspired by the layout of the classic Nasrid riad and designed by the conservation architect Francisco Prieto Moreno. The theatre opened in 1954 as the main venue for the Festival's ballet performances.
Since then it has been adapted several times to host increasingly complex shows, in keeping with the grandeur and unique character of its setting.
The growing scale and demands of the International Festival of Music and Dance, together with the needs of other shows and the wish to serve audiences better, led to a thorough restoration, completed in July 2005.
Architecturally, the theatre follows the lines of the Generalife orchards: its retaining walls look like one more part of the complex, and the terraces and flowerbeds support the planting, which plays a key role in the venue. The stage is framed by natural screens of cypress trees, offering a permanent and distinctive backdrop that is unique in contemporary stage design.
