Over the past four years, the U de G  has developed the two biggest cultural projects in the city: the Auditorio Telmex and the Teatro Diana. The Telmex celebrates its first year of life this month, while the Diana opened its doors three years ago.  Their appearance on the cultural scene has provided Tapatios and visitors with a variety of options – sometimes too many – and grateful citizens have responded in promising numbers. Thanks to the 11,200-capacity Telmex, big names that previously would have shunned Guadalajara now turn up with regularity. You couldn’t have imagined the likes of Bob Dylan, Liza Minelli and The Killers playing at The 1,100-seat Degollado Theater.  And even without the space and material trappings of its bigger brother, the 2,200-seat Diana has managed to host some top-quality acts (The Royal Ballet of London, for example).

The price of tickets for shows at the Telmex has been one of the major criticisms leveled at the new space. On its opening, general director Fernando Favela was at pains to point out that one the aims of the auditorium would be to host cultural events that “ordinary people” with limited budgets could aspire to see.

In reality, few of these kinds of shows have transpired. While tickets for most shows have a low ceiling starting around 300 pesos, these seats are limited and at the back of the auditorium to one side, a long distance from the stage.  Seats with reasonable views usually start at around 80 dollars, rising to 170 dollars for most performances. Tickets for Balletissimo, the Telmex’s one-year anniversary show on September 26, which features a stellar show of principals from the world’s top ballet companies, including the Kirov, Bolshoi, Kiev, New York City Ballet and Weiner Stattspoer Ballet, cost 350 to 1,750 pesos. A week later, there are two more concerts in quick succession: Spanish crooner Julio Iglesias (1,500 to 1,900 pesos) and the BBC Concert Orchestra (250 to 1,300 pesos).

The U de G explains that shows the university puts on will be priced more reasonably (ostensibly, the U de G is a non-profit making organization).  Most of the events, however, are organized by private promoters and the auditorium is simply leased out. Ticket costs for these shows can be even higher than in other western nations, reason promoters, because the cost and logistics of bringing top artists to Mexico is very high. 

Strange scheduling at the two U de G venues also baffles many culture aficionados. Notwithstanding Balletissimo and the BBC Orchestra, patrons must also weigh up the merits of two other appetizing performances at the Diana: the operas “Carmen” and “Rigoletto” put on by the Galina Vishnevskaya’s Opera Centre and a performance by the San Petersburg Ballet. These five events are all scheduled between September 26 and October 5.

If you purchased the best tickets for all five, it would set you back 5,400 pesos. Not that bad a deal, you might say. But how long would it take you to recover from the cultural overload?