The Royal Danish Playhouse ( da, Skuespilhuset) is a theatre building for 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 ...

, situated on the harbour front in the

Frederiksstaden Frederiksstaden is a district in Copenhagen, Denmark. Constructed during the reign of Frederick V in the second half of the 18th century, it is considered to be one of the most important rococo complexes in Europe and was included in the 2006 Danis ...

neighbourhood of central

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. It was created as a purpose-built venue for dramatic theatre, supplementing the theatre's old venue from 1874 on

Kongens Nytorv Kongens Nytorv ( lit. "The King's New Square") is a public square in Copenhagen, Denmark, centrally located at the end of the pedestrian street Strøget. The largest square of the city, it was laid out by Christian V in 1670 in connection wit ...

and the 2004

Copenhagen Opera House The Copenhagen Opera House (in Danish usually called Operaen, literally ''The opera'') is the national opera house of Denmark, and among the most modern opera houses in the world. It is also one of the most expensive opera houses ever built at a ...

, which are used for

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

and

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

. The Royal Playhouse is designed by the Danish architectural practice

Lundgaard & Tranberg Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter is a Danish architectural firm, based in Copenhagen Denmark. It is most noted for the Tietgenkollegiet student housing in Ørestad from 2006 and the Royal Danish Playhouse on the Copenhagen harbourfront from 2008 ...

and received a

RIBA European Award RIBA European Awards are part of an award program by the Royal Institute of British Architects. Complemented by the RIBA National and International Awards, it rewards "the excellent work being done by RIBA members in the European Union outside the ...

in 2008 for its architecture as well as a

Red dot design award The Red Dot Design Award is a German international design prize awarded by Red Dot GmbH & Co. KG. There are prize categories for product design, brands and communication design, and design concept. Since 1955, designers and producers can appl ...

for the design of the chairs.

History

Since the 1880s Copenhagen city started the discussion of building a new Royal Playhouse for the latest trend in acting, where focus was on the more natural and intimate drama speaking works as opposed to the popular recital theater of the time.

Building

The theatre is designed by the Danish architectural practice

. It is built in a long, slim, deep-brown brick that was specially developed for the project. The exterior is dominated by a continuous glass-encased top story with offices and back-stage facilities for the actors. Above the glass band is the dark copper-clad cube of the stage tower. The glazed foyer facing the water runs along the entire length of the building. It affords panoramic views of the harbour and contains a restaurant and a cafë. With about 40 per cent of the building projecting over the water, the waterfront promenade pivots around the playhouse, diverting pedestrians onto a raised 150 metre long walkway layered with rustic oak planks placed on Venetian-style crooked columns creating a floating feel.

References

External links

* . {{Copenhagen Theatres completed in 2008 Theatres in Copenhagen Tourist attractions in Copenhagen National theatres

History

Building

See also

References

External links