The Roman theater was built at the beginning of the 1st century AD, coinciding with the municipalization of cities, a process that led to the construction of large buildings. In the case of Malaca, these buildings broke with the city’s ancient Phoenician-Punic layout.
The Roman theater is located at the foot of the Alcazaba (citadel). It was discovered in 1951 during the creation of a garden at the entrance to the House of Culture.
The theater was built during the reign of Augustus and was used until the 3rd century AD. Afterwards, it was used as a quarry by the Arabs for materials used in the reconstruction of the Alcazaba, and Roman column capitals and shafts can still be found within the fortress.
Currently, the entrance gallery to the proscenium (stage) is exposed, which was covered by a barrel vault, part of the orchestra of about 15 m, the cavea with 3 tiers and a radius of 31 m by 16 m high and the vomitorium or access doors to the tiers.