The National Theatre in
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
() is one of
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts.
History
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
Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (3 December 1684 – 28 January 1754) was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Denmark–Norway, Dano–Norwegian dual monarchy. He was infl ...
, then ''
An Enemy of the People'' by
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...
, and on the third day ''
Sigurd Jorsalfar'' by
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson ( , ; 8 December 1832 – 26 April 1910) was a Norwegian writer who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished ...
.
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 ''
Journey to the Christmas Star'' (), written by the theatre's finance director
Sverre Brandt (1880–1962) 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
An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
Henrik Bull (1864–1953).
The theatre organisation manages four stages: the main stage (), the amphitheatre () and Painting Parlour () within the main building. The fourth is the Torshov Theatre () in the
Torshov district of Oslo.
Directors of the Theatre
Source:
[
* 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
Knut Hergel (27 November 1899 – 2 September 1982) was a Norwegian actor and theatre director
A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production ...
* 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
* 2009–2020 Hanne Tømta
* 2021–''present'' Kristian Seltun
Gallery
File:Nationaltheatret evening.jpg,
File:Nathional Theatre, Oslo - December 2013 (13109595474).jpg,
File:"Streifzug" mit der Kamera durch Oslo. 03.jpg,
File:"Streifzug" mit der Kamera durch Oslo. 06.jpg,
See also
* Deutsches Theater, Oslo
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1899 establishments in Norway
Oslo, National Theatre
Theatres in Oslo
Theatres completed in 1899