National Theatre (Oslo)

National Theatre
National Theatre
Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site
	National Theatre
Type	Cultural institution
Status	Protected by resolution
County	Oslo
Municipality	Oslo
Coordinates	59°54′52.1″N 10°44′3.74″E / 59.914472°N 10.7343722°E
Year built	1899
ID	86156

The National Theatre in Oslo (Norwegian: Nationaltheatret) is one of Norway's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts.^[1]

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, then An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen, and on the third day Sigurd Jorsalfar by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson.^[2]

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".^[3]

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 (Reisen til Julestjernen), written by the theatre's finance director Sverre Brandt (1880–1962) and performed for the first time in 1924.^[4]

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 (1864–1953).^[5]

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.

Directors of the Theatre ^[6]

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
2009–2020 Hanne Tømta
2021–present Kristian Seltun

References

^ "Nationaltheateret". Kulturminnesøk. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
^ "Christiania Theater". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
^ "Vilhelm Krag". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
^ "Sverre Brandt". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
^ "Henrik Bull". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
^ Larsen, Svend Erik Løken (13 May 2022). "Nationaltheatret". In Bolstad, Erik (ed.). Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Retrieved 4 March 2023.