Mayor Earnshaw: Father of Metropolitan Theater

When the cornerstone was laid, a book was placed in it bearing the signatures of these men, from left: Gov. Gen. Davis, Mayor Tomas Earnshaw, Horace B. Pond (writing), Angel M. Varela (secretary of Metropolitan Theater), Secretary of the Interior Honorio Ventura and city engineer Santiago Artiaga

It was Manila Mayor Tomas Earnshaw’s dream to build a theater worthy of the city and its inhabitants. He wanted a beautiful home for the arts, especially music.

Mayor Earnshaw had already chosen the perfect place — a portion of Manila’s botanical garden.

A theater committee was formed and headed by Horace B. Pond. Members were UP president Rafael Palma, A.D. Williams, Santiago Artiaga, Bienvenido A. Tan, J.L. Pierce and Andres Luna de San Pedro.

When the cornerstone was laid, a book was placed in it bearing the signatures of these men, from left: Gov. Gen. Davis, Mayor Tomas Earnshaw, Horace B. Pond (writing), Angel M. Varela (secretary of Metropolitan Theater), Secretary of the Interior Honorio Ventura and city engineer Santiago Artiaga

While the plans were underway, a contest was held to determine the name of the theater. The popular choice was Metropolitan Theater submitted by Evelyn Thorstensen, who was well known in cinema as Eva Lyn.

Finally, on Dec. 12, 1931, the Metropolitan Theater was inaugurated with pomp and circumstance. The budget was P1M.

Palma rightly called Mayor Tomas Earnshaw the Father of Metropolitan Theater.

The inaugural presentation was These Tourists, a comedy about Manila life mounted by the Community Players.

Evelyn Thorstensen

Juan Arellano was the architect. He said, ‘I have tried to make the Metropolitan Theater modernistic in construction with simple, clean-cut lines. But the motif, as you will see, is native as I intended it to symbolize Philippine culture and to mark the stage development of arts in the Philippines.’

Assisting Arellano was F.H. Monti, an Italian sculptor of note who was responsible for the interior decorations.

Two huge mural paintings for the foyer had been executed by Fernando Amorsolo. They symbolize the coming of the dance and music arts to the Philippines.

The Philippines Free Press headlined the event: A million-peso ‘Aguinaldo’ for the people of Manila.

One of the paintings of Fernando Amorsolo titled Music. It represents the coming of Western music in the country. In the foreground is a vinta with native musicians aboard, while hovering above Magellan’s galleon is the symbolic spirit of Western music.

It read: ‘When Christmas Day dawns this year, the people of Manila will have a real Christmas gift, one which will be useful through the many years to come and will remain a monument to the unselfish work of the men who have helped to turn  Mayor Earnshaw’s dream into reality.’   — RKC