Teatro Nacional Repairs Stalled

Panama City’s Teatro Nacional, a tourist attraction offering cultural performances from opera and ballet to folkloric dance requires waterproofing of the building which was built in 1908.

The theatre has been closed since 2015. The National Institute of Culture (INAC) reported that it would proceed with a direct contract for the waterproofing of the theater however, this year between the months of January and March two tenders for the work required for just over $600,000 were abandoned.

José Batista, director of the Panamanian Society of Engineers and Architects, explained that the price being offered for the work is too low, and this is the reason the tenders were abandoned. Furthermore he reported that local firms do not have the expertise required to complete the job.