Exterior of Nationaltheatret

Nationaltheatret ("The National Theater") is one of Norway's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts.

The theater had its first performance on September 1, 1899 but can trace its origins to Christiania Theater, which was founded in 1829. There were three official opening performances, on subsequent days in September: First, selected pieces by Ludvig Holberg, then An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen, and on the third day Sigurd Jorsalfar by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years). ... Ludvig Holberg Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (December 3, 1684 - January 28, 1754), Norwegian-Danish dramatist, historian, and essayist. ... An Enemy of the People is a play written by Henrik Ibsen (1882). ... Henrik Johan Ibsen (March 20, 1828–May 23, 1906) was an extremely influential Norwegian playwright who was largely responsible for the rise of the modern realistic drama (dubbed the father of modern drama). It is said that Ibsen is the most frequently performed dramatist in the world after Shakespeare. ... Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Bjørnstjerne Martinus Bjørnson (December 8, 1832–April 26, 1910) was a Norwegian author and Nobel Prize in Literature winner in 1903. ...

The theater was founded as a private institution and weathered several financial crises until 1929, when the Norwegian government started providing modest support. A number of famous Norwegians have served as artistic directors for the theater, but Vilhelm Krag who took over in 1911, is credited as having brought the theater into its "golden age."

The theatre is often considered the home for Ibsen's plays, and most have of his work has been performed here. Notable is also the children's Christmas play, "The Journey to the Christmas Star" (Reisen til Julestjernen), written by the theatre's finance director Sverre Brandt and performed for the first time in 1924.

The theater manages four stages: the main stage (Hovedscenen), the amphitheater (Amfiscenen), and the Painting Parlor (Malingsalen) within the main structure, and the Torshov Theatre (Torshovteatret) in the Torshov district of Oslo. Sagene is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. ...

The current artistic director is Eirik Stubø.

The main building is centrally located between the Royal Palace in Oslo and parliament's building. It was designed by architect Henrik Bull. Architect at his drawing board, 1893 An architect is a person involved in the planning, designing and oversight of a buildings construction. ...