National Theatre (Oslo)

The National Theatre in Oslo (Norwegian: Nationaltheatret) is one of Norway's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts.

"Nationaltheatret" redirects here. For the railway station, see Nationaltheatret Station. For the metro and tram station, see Nationaltheatret (station).

National Theatre
Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site
Type	Cultural institution
Status	Protected by resolution
County	Oslo
Municipality	Oslo
Coordinates	59°54′52.1″N 10°44′3.74″E
Year built	1899
ID	86156

The theatre had its first performance on 1 September 1899 but can trace its origins to Christiania Theatre, which was founded in 1829. There were three official opening performances, on subsequent days in September: first, selected pieces by Ludvig Holberg, then An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen, and on the third day Sigurd Jorsalfar by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson.

History

The National Theatre was founded as a private institution and weathered several financial crises until 1929, when the Norwegian government started providing modest support. A number of famous Norwegians have served as artistic directors for the theatre, but Vilhelm Krag who took over in 1911, is credited as having brought the theatre into its "golden age."

The theatre is often considered the home for Ibsen's plays, and most of his works have been performed here. Notable is also the children's Christmas play, The Journey to the Christmas Star (Reisen til Julestjernen), written by the then theatre's finance director Sverre Brandt and performed for the first time in 1924.

The main building is centrally located between the Royal Palace, Oslo and the Parliament of Norway. It is served by National Theatre Station and National Theatre metro stations. It was designed by architect Henrik Bull. The theatre organisation manages four stages: the main stage (Hovedscenen), the amphitheatre (Amfiscenen) and Painting Parlour (Malersalen) within the main building. The fourth is the Torshov Theatre (Torshovteatret) in the Torshov district of Oslo. As of 2009, the theatre's artistic director was Hanne Tømta.

Directors of the Theatre

1899–1907 Bjørn Bjørnson 1908–1911 Vilhelm Krag 1911–1923 Halfdan Christensen 1923–1927 Bjørn Bjørnson 1928–1930 Einar Skavlan 1930–1933 Halfdan Christensen 1933–1934 Anton Rønneberg (acting) 1934–1935 Johe. Wiers-Jensen 1935–1941 Axel Otto Normann 1941–1945 Gustav Berg-Jæger 1945–1946 Axel Otto Normann

1946–1960 Knut Hergel 1960–1961 Carl Fredrik Engelstad 1962–1967 Erik Kristen-Johanssen 1967–1978 Arild Brinchmann 1978–1986 Toralv Maurstad 1986–1988 Kjetil Bang-Hansen 1988–1990 Ellen Horn, Ole-Jørgen Nilsen and Sverre Rødahl 1990–1992 Stein Winge 1992–2000 Ellen Horn 2000–2008 Eirik Stubø 2009–present Hanne Tømta

See also

• Deutsches Theater, Oslo

External links

• (in Norwegian) Official website