History of Lunario del Auditorio Nacional
1993
The missing venue
Since 1993, shortly after the reopening of Auditorio Nacional, Lunario’s current space has hosted three different projects that were in line with their time: Theatron, designed by Philippe Starck, the Fashion Café, when themed venues were trending, and the Stage restaurant.
2003
From December 2003 to March 2004, the Auditorio Nacional commissioned the remodeling of its alternate stage to architect and set designer Alejandro Luna (Mexico, 1939-2022). In the process, Luna faced several structural challenges, namely removing two load-bearing columns that hindered visibility, which he solved by supporting the roof from above. The result was Lunario del Auditorio Nacional an intimate, comfortable venue capable of hosting a variety of artistic productions.
Located in the heart of the Chapultepec Forest, on the west side of Auditorio Nacional, Lunario sets itself apart due to its cozy atmosphere, its multi-format hall and its wide and eclectic programming.
Attentive to the dynamics of performing arts and live entertainment, driven by the various platforms and digital formats, by the atomization of audience preferences and by an increase in artists and promoters, Lunario del Auditorio Nacional has responded with human and technological resources of the highest level. It is also the ideal space to present corporate and advertising events.
Alejandro Luna, architect of theatrical universes
An architect by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Alejandro Luna has designed sets and lighting for 250 plays, 25 operas and 10 choreographies. Between 1964 and 2013 he served as advisor to the construction of 65 theaters, including venues in UNAM’s University Cultural Center (Teatro Juan Ruíz de Alarcón, Sala Miguel Covarrubias, Teatro Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz) and pertaining to the University of Guadalajara (Teatro Diana, Auditorio Telmex and Centro de Artes Escénicas). Additionally, in León, Guanajuato, he was advisor to the project and construction of the Teatro del Bicentenario.
As a theater set designer, Luna has worked with the most important playwrights in the country and his work is associated with the most outstanding moments of the performing arts in Mexico. He received the National Prize of Sciences and Arts in the field of Fine Arts (2001), was named Emeritus Creator by the National Art Creators System of the National Council for Culture and the Arts (as of 2001) and was distinguished by the Union of Theaters of Europe during the XXX Cervantino International Festival (2002). Additionally, the International Society for the Performing Arts, based in New York, gave him the Distinguished Artist Award (2004) and the Mexican National Institute of Fine Arts awarded him the Fine Arts Medal in 2016.
"I believe that the stage is for extraordinary things to happen," said Luna, who also won the Ariel award in 1985 for the production design of the film Frida, naturaleza viva. Alejandro Luna created the design of Lunario del Auditorio Nacional placing the audience on several levels, which allows intimacy and comfort to be part of the atmosphere where the audience can appreciate high quality performances in a cozy and versatile venue.