Teatro Real (Royal Theatre) or simply El Real, as it is known colloquially, is a major opera house located in Madrid, Spain. Opened on 19 November 1850, it closed in 1925 and reopened in 1997 with a capacity of 1,746 seats. Today, the Teatro Real opera is one of the great theaters of Europe and its seasons are home productions involving leading figures of the international singing, musical direction, stage direction and dance.