Teatrul Național "Ion Luca Caragiale" | |
.jpg) The National Theatre in April 2017 | |
 | |
| Address | 2 Nicolae Bălcescu Boulevard,sector 1 Bucharest  Romania |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ministry of Culture of Romania |
| Capacity | 2,613 (in seven auditoriums) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 20 December 1973 (1973-12-20) |
| Rebuilt | 2012–2014[1] |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Architect | Horia Maicu, Romeo Belea, Nicolae Cucu (initial project) Cezar Lăzărescu (1983 modification) Romeo Belea (2014 remodeling) |
| Website | |
| www | |
TheNational Theatre Bucharest (Romanian:Teatrul Naţional "Ion Luca Caragiale" București) is one of the national theatres ofRomania, located in the capital city ofBucharest.
It was founded as theTeatrul cel Mare din București ("Grand Theatre of Bucharest") in 1852, its first director beingCostache Caragiale. It became a national institution in 1864 by a decree ofPrime MinisterMihail Kogălniceanu, and was officially named as the National Theatre in 1875; it is now administered by theRomanian Ministry of Culture.
In April 1836, theSocietatea Filarmonica — a cultural society founded byIon Heliade Rădulescu andIon Câmpineanu — bought the Câmpinencii Inn to build a National Theatre on the site, and began to collect money and materials for this purpose. In 1840,Obşteasca Adunare (thelegislative branch established under the terms of theImperial Russian-approvedOrganic Statute) proposed toAlexandru II Ghica, thePrince ofWallachia, a project to build a National Theatre with state support. The request was approved on June 4, 1840. PrinceGheorghe Bibescu adopted the idea of founding the theatre and chose a new location, on the spot of the former Filaret Inn. There were several reasons to favor this location: it was centrally located, right in the middle ofPodul Mogoşoaiei (today'sCalea Victoriei); the earthquake of 1838 had damaged the inn beyond repair, and it needed to be torn down.
The August 13, 1843, report of the commission charged with building the theatre determined that construction would cost 20,300florins (standardgold coin) of which only 13,000 gold coins were available. In 1846, a new commission engaged theViennese architect A. Hefft, who came up with an acceptable plan.
Construction got under way in 1848, only to be interrupted in June by theWallachian revolution. In August 1849, after PrinceBarbu Dimitrie Ştirbei took power, he ordered that construction be completed.
The theatre was inaugurated on December 31, 1852, with the playZoe sau Amantul împrumutat, described in the newspapers of the time as a "vaudeville with songs". The building was built in thebaroque style, with 338 stalls on the main floor, three levels of loges, a luxurious foyer with staircases ofCarrara marble and a large gallery in which students could attend free of charge. For its first two years, the theatre was lit withtallow lamps, but from 1854 it usedrape oil lamps; still later this was replaced bygaslights and eventually electric lights. In 1875, at the time its name was changed to Teatrul Naţional, its director was the writerAlexandru Odobescu.
The historic theatre building onCalea Victoriei — now featured on the 100-leu banknote — was destroyed during theLuftwaffe bombardment of Bucharest on August 24, 1944 (seeBombing of Bucharest in World War II).[2][3]
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The current National Theatre is located about half a kilometre away from the old site, just south of theHotel Intercontinental atPiaţa Universităţii (University Square), and has been in use since 1973. The edifice was extensively renovated from 2012 to 2014.[4][5]
Currently, the Bucharest National Theatre presents its performances in seven auditoriums: Ion Caramitru Hall (940 seats), Small Hall (130-150 seats), Studio Hall (424-594 seats), Black Box Hall (200 seats), Painting Hall (230 seats), Media Hall (200 seats), and Amphitheatre (outdoor terrace) (299 seats).[6]
In over 150 years of existence, the Bucharest National Theatre presented on stage many of the most significant pieces of universal dramaturgy. It has had successful performances both in and outside the country:France,Germany,Austria,Yugoslavia,Italy,England,Spain,Portugal,Greece,Brazil, etc.
In 2005, following a contest, the actorIon Caramitru was appointed as general director of the theatre.[7][8]
Media related toNational Theatre Bucharest at Wikimedia Commons44°26′11.92″N26°6′12.85″E / 44.4366444°N 26.1035694°E /44.4366444; 26.1035694
