National Theatre

Oslo's National Theatre was inaugurated in 1899. The building is designed by architect Henrik Bull, and has served Norway’s main arena for stage artists, theatre productions and large celebrations for over 100 years.

Statues of the great Norwegian writers Henrik Ibsen and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson guard the theater's main entrance. They also have their names engraved on the theater's facade, along with the Dano-Norwegian playwright Ludvig Holberg.

Henrik Ibsen and his wife Suzannah sat in the front row when the National Theatre opened, and it has in many respects been Ibsen’s theatre ever since. The theatre has staged Ibsen’s plays almost every year since the opening, and also hosts the biennial International Ibsen Festival.

The theatre building has been remodeled several times, and today the National Theatre houses four different stages: Hovedscenen, Malersalen, Prøvesalen og Bakscenen.