The Bahrain National Theatre in Manama stands on the waterfront next to the Bahrain National Museum and was opened on 12 November 2012 in the presence of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. It was built on the site of the demolished Heritage Village and was intended to relieve the overstretched Cultural Hall. Designed by the French practice Architecture-Studio, it is a glass cube beside an artificial lagoon beneath a shimmering gold-coloured stainless steel roof. The main auditorium is clad in Canadian elm, meant to evoke a dhow, and has 1,001 seats, an allusion to the Thousand and One Nights. There is also a flexible 150-seat studio. Plácido Domingo gave a concert shortly after the opening, followed in December 2012 by a Bolshoi ballet gala.
The Bahrain National Theatre, opened in 2012, is with 1,001 seats the third-largest theatre in the Arab world — the number is a homage to the Tales of One Thousand and One Nights.
At a glance
- Type
- Multi-genre theatre
- Location
- Manama, Bahrain