10 Amazing Theaters in the World

National Noh Theater, Tokyo

Using more suggestion then description, the minimalist Noh theater is one of the oldest forms of performance in Japan. In the 14Th century, Noh actors were under the authority of Japanese temples, but by the end of the century the Noh theater started developing into its modern form. Many plays that were written in that time are still performed today, making Noh one of the best preserved traditional theaters in the world. This form of act and the profession of Noh actor is inherited from father and son, and only men are aloud to play. Understood as ability or skill, Noh combines drama, music poetry and dance into a subtle performance. The public is expected to already know the plot, since this form of drama is not at all explicit (a one-page English version of the story is available for new public). In modern times, the indoor stage is decorated with pebbles and small trees suggesting the original outdoor scenery of Noh plays. The show is very long - about 6 hours - and could see

Globe Theater, London

The Globe Theater in London has a very long history. Built for the first time in 1559 by Shakespeare's playing company, the theater could house up to 3,000 people in a three-storey open-air amphitheater about 30 m in diameter. Recent research indicates that a polygon of 20 sides outlined the interior of this original setting vs. the previous assumption of an octagonal shaped building. The angle of the perspective was drastically changed: while some people couldn't hear very well what was happening on scene, some others did not have a frontal view of the performance. Only 54 years after its opening, the Globe Theater was destroyed by a fire. One year later it was rebuilt and only another year later it was closed again by the Puritans. In 1644 the theater was pulled down. The Globe's Architecture was based on the Ancient Rome's Coliseum, the public being arranged in an amphitheatre. The initiative of rebuilding The Globe was Sarn Wanamaker's, an American producer, actor and directo

Burgtheater, Vienna

Named simply "die Burg" by the Viennese population, Burgtheater is also known as the City Theatre, Federal Theatre or National Theatre.

Habima Theater, Jerusalem

The history of Israel's most important theater began in 1913 with a shy theatrical attempt in the town of Vilna, but after the first play was a total disaster, the project was abandoned. Only four years later, Nachom Zemach together with Hana Rubina and Menachem Gansin reopened the theater in Moscow, with the encouragement and support of important theatrical figures such as the legendary Stanislavski. The theater's aim was to try a different type of performance, abandoning the realistic approach in favor of a more figurative one that combined movement with sound. In 1926 the theater started a tour and in 1928 the staff arrived to Tel Aviv. Habima theater invited the director Aleksei Dikiy from Moscow, to direct two plays that became a great success: Der Oytser (The Treasure) (1928) and The Crown (1929). With these great achievements, Habima became renown as a permanent national Jewish theatre set up in Tel Aviv. Although some complain that the theater lost its eccentric flair a

Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza

The Olympic Theater (Teatro Olimpico) in Vincenza is the last masterpiece of Andrea Palladio -one of the greatest architects of Italian Renaissance- and was not completed until after his death. This is the oldest surviving theater building in the world, being constructed in 1580-1585. Its value in the history of performing arts is without doubt inestimable, after becoming the first purpose-built theater in Europe in over a thousand years. The theater owns the oldest surviving stage set: the background designed by Vicenzo Scamozzi is a trompe-l'oeil installed in 1585 for Sophocles' Oedipus the King, the first performance held in the theater. Teatro Olimpico owns a stage where history was made. This theater witnessed most theatrical improvements in history. The trope-l'oeil or "tricking the eye" technique for example, is an art that uses a very realistic image in order to create optical illusion that shows objects in three-dimensions instead of being a two-dimensional paint.The use of

Teatro Abadia, Madrid

The relation between theater and religion was all through history a double-sided sward, but in the same time an inseparable entity. Sometimes opposing and confronting each other, other times using each other's language as a cause, a object, a reason or even a subject, theater and faith both aim humans heart, one offering joys of the unseen and eternal life, while the other deals with tangible matter of life here on earth. The two meet in Teatro de La Abadía: a live heart beating in the body of the former Church of La Sagrada Familia, and in the Functions Hall, renamed as the Sala Juan de la Cruz and Sala José Luis Alonso. The stage and the public are set in proximity to each other, so sharing the theatrical emotion from human body to human mind is natural. This approach is based on words and synergy, continuing the great tradition of European theatre. Teatro de la Abadia became in the past ten years one of the best independent theatrical institutions in the Spanish capital, Mad

Duesseldorfer schauspielhaus, Germany

The playhouse imagined by the Düsseldorf architect Bernhard Pfau is one of the greatest theater constructions built after the war. Not only its curved lines and wavy walls, but also the on-going modern and experimental performances that are alive in this playhouse make the theater one the most modern theater institutions in Germany and not only. Although planning of the playhouse had begun in 1959, the political instability delayed with more than a decade the opening of the new playhouse; in the mean time the public was polarized, and with the final costs amounted to some 40 million DM, the opening on the 16Th of January 1970 turned into a complete scandal. No tickets were sold to the open public, and only guests were permitted to participate at the official opening performance. The demonstrates disputed public rights to take part of the cultural life of the city, but also aimed a general critique to traditional cultural institutions. Twenty people were arrested and several injured

Carnegie Hall, New York

Modern America's short history was no impediment in the quick growth of culture and arts. In 1890, only 114 years after the Declaration of Independence, Andrew Carnegie was financing the construction of the "Music Hall". The building was going to house the Oratorio Society of New York and the New York Symphony Society on whose board Carnegie was a member. The opening concert was conducted by maestro Walter Damrosch and composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky on May 5 1891. Only two years later, the Music Hall was renamed Carnegie Hall after board members convinced Carnegie of the importance of using his name. The building was sold and resold, and in 1960, with the New York Philharmonic on the move to Lincoln Center, the building was going to be demolished to make room for a commercial skyscraper. Violinist Isaac Stern and many of the artist residents made pressure and saved the building by convinving the city of New York to buy the estate from Simon, the commercial developer. The nonprofit C

Ópera de Arame, Curitiba

In the city of Curibita, Paraná - south Brazil - Opera de arame became a major tourist attraction due to its original and spectacular architecture. Inaugurated in 1992, the opera was built on the site of a former rock quarry in the heart of Parque das Pedreiras - a urban green park. The beauty and originality of the architectural design is given by the tubular structure and transparent polycarbonate that make this theater unique in the world. With a capacity of 2,400 spectators and a 400m ² area, this auditorium perfectly blends with the green environment that became home of cultural events, nourishing not only the eye, but the human soul as well.

Odeon Theater, Paris

When one thinks French Theater, a history that began in the 12Th century with liturgical drama unfolds like a book in the hands of a child. La Comedie Francaise, Alfred Jarry, Jacques Lecoqs' school, Peter Brooks' Paris' International Centre for Theatre Research are just some of the titles that complete this marvelous historian journey.

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10 Amazing Theaters in the World

National Noh Theater, Tokyo

Globe Theater, London

Burgtheater, Vienna

Habima Theater, Jerusalem

Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza

Teatro Abadia, Madrid

Duesseldorfer schauspielhaus, Germany

Carnegie Hall, New York

Ópera de Arame, Curitiba

Odeon Theater, Paris

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