The New Royal Playhouse
Copenhagen has a brand new architectural drama theater, “Skuespilhuset,” in Danish. The theater is sure to deliver the best acoustic and surroundings in its category thanks to the incredible tailor-made masterpiece by Danish architect duo Boje Lundgaard and Lene Tranberg.
Lene Tranberg calls the new playhouse “a theater machine” in the sense that the theater was constructed to create a sense of magic down to the smallest detail. 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.
The Royal Playhouse will host classical and experimental performances in Danish. The building itself and the marvelous architecture is bound to excite citizens and visitors of Copenhagen simply by its sheer beauty and harbor front location. The Royal Playhouse complex covers 20,000 square meters and is partly built into the harbor above the water on the bridge “Kvæsthusbroen,” with the Royal Castle Amalienborg and the Opera House across the water as its closest neighbors. There is even talk of connecting The Opera House and The Royal Playhouse with a suspension bridge at some point.
The theater complex consists of three main areas; the foyer, a broad 150 meter long sidewalk layered with rustic oak planks placed on Venetian-style crooked columns creating a floating feel. Then there is the auditorium with a 32-meter-high impressive scene tower clad in copper, and last the unifying service area, the roof level covered in glass. The huge glass façade provide the visitor on a sunny day with stunning reflections and marvelous interaction between the three dominating elements of the complex; sea, glass and copper.
Another exceptional piece of decoration is the nine meter high fiber light sculpture at the entrance, formed as lianas and therefore referred to as “the jungle.”
When you walk around inside it’s also worth noticing the amazing acoustics of The Royal Playhouse, which is very unique. Try shouting out a few words. The reverberation is precisely one second, the best condition for drama acting and a fact that ensures words will never drown each other out. The theater has three stages. The main stage with 650 seats, the more flexible “Portscene” with about 200 seats, and lastly, the smaller intimate stage with 100 seats ideal for a more experimental and exclusive drama experience.
The urban architecture and geometric composition of The Royal Playhouse opens the city to the harbor and is certain to attract not only theater enthusiasts but also those out for a scenic walk along the waterfront. On top of the stunning architecture, extra-modern theater facilities and fantastic harbor and city view, The Playhouse is a joy to visit for a tasty bite in the theater cafe, open to the public all day. You can also combine your lunch with a tour of the theater in English. The best option is to visit the Royal Playhouse by foot, since parking a car nearby can be a bit of a challenge.
The New Royal Playhouse opens its doors on the 16th of February with the classic masterpiece – “Hamlet”; “To be or not to be?” Definitely to be, and for that matter everlasting when it comes to The New Royal Playhouse - an architectural gem along Copenhagen’s harbor front.
February 2008