Aalborg Teater is the main

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

in Aalborg, Denmark. Built in 1878, it was subsequently modified by Julius Petersen and was remodeled in 2000. Its address is still Jernbanegade (Railway Street), although the station and the theatre have both moved. The theatre has three stages and seats 870 in the main auditorium. There are 10-12 annual productions with a total of 250-400 performances, covering a wide selection of drama and musicals. Originally privately owned, it is now controlled and owned by the

Danish Ministry of Culture The Minister for Culture of Denmark ( da, Kulturminister) is the Danish political minister office responsible for culture, head of the Ministry of Culture of Denmark. The political responsibility for culture, as well as church and education, was ...

. While most productions are housed in the main hall, the building can accommodate up to four shows in its other halls."Teatrets scener"
, Aalborg Teater. Retrieved 3 September 2013.

History

When the railway reached Aalborg at the end of the 1860s, the newly constructed Jernbanegade (Railway Street) provided an ideal site for Grøntved, the local butcher, to build a theatre. Completed in 1878, initially it could accommodate audiences of almost 1,110 as there were many cheap standing places. Julius Petersen, one of the leading directors in the provinces, bought the theatre in 1882 and shortly afterwards married Grøntved's daughter, Anne, who played a leading role in the theatre's development. Petersen undertook major modifications to the building, providing seating for 500 in the stalls and 370 on the balcony. The stage was extended and more powerful gas lighting was installed (to be replaced in 1921 by electric light). In 1914, on his 70th birthday, Petersen transferred ownership of the theatre to the city, receiving an allowance and a box seat in return. Under the city's administration, a number of directors were appointed in fairly rapid succession, as they all experienced difficulties in making ends meet. In 1937, Jakob Nielsen from Frederiksberg's Betty Nansen Teatret took over and appointed a new company of actors. Despite limited budgets, he was able to present 15 productions in the first season, acting in 14 of them himself. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, the Germans commandeered the theatre as a cinema for their troops but it was reopened in September 1945. Over the years the theatre has been run by the municipality or the region but it is now one of four theatres in the hands of the

, the others being Odense Teater, Aarhus Teater and the

Royal Danish Theatre The Royal Danish Theatre (RDT, Danish: ') is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first s ...

in Copenhagen.

Directors

References

External links

Official website
{{Aalborg Buildings and structures in Aalborg Theatres in Denmark Theatres completed in 1878