Historic school building to become dramatic arts hub
The Canary Islands Government’s Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity and Sports, led by Poli Suárez, announced on Wednesday that works have been awarded to refurbish and adapt the old Francisco Hernández Monzón Secondary School (IES) in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The project, with a total budget of €695,481.86, will transform the premises into the new home for the Drama vocational training cycles of the Gran Canaria Actor’s School.
A comprehensive refurbishment for the arts
In a statement, the Island Council (Cabildo) detailed that the project will strengthen the provision of higher artistic education and vocational training linked to the performing arts on the island. The works entail a complete overhaul of interior and exterior spaces, including the renewal of bathrooms, joinery, painting, façade repairs, and the updating of installations to suit the specific needs of performing arts training.
Creating a modern space for future talent
Regarding the project, Councillor Poli Suárez emphasised that it “represents a decisive step towards providing the educational community and the island of Gran Canaria with a modern and suitable space for this type of teaching.” Suárez welcomed the fact that “teachers and students of these studies will finally have facilities worthy of what they deserve and need to develop their professional careers in the field of performing arts.”
He further underlined that “this intervention allows for the restructuring of an existing educational building to adapt it to new training uses, optimising the resources we already had at our disposal.”
A key institution for Canarian culture
For his part, the President of the Gran Canaria Island Council, Antonio Morales, stated that “the Actor’s School is the fundamental reference for higher Drama training in the Canary Islands and plays a key role in the training and professionalisation of theatre, film, and television. It is also vital for the innovation and promotion of the island’s cultural industry, hence the Council’s determined intervention to co-finance this space.”
Part of a wider strategic plan
The Cabildo notes that this contract award falls under the Strategic Plan for Educational Infrastructure of the Canary Islands 2024-2035. This roadmap, driven by the regional government, aims for a comprehensive modernisation of the school network. The plan envisages a global investment of €235 million for around fifty projects across all the islands, with the goal of adapting educational facilities to new training needs, improving habitability, and ensuring teaching spaces meet accessibility, sustainability, and efficiency criteria.
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