Den Nationale Scene
Norway's oldest permanent theatre company, in an Art Nouveau playhouse of 1909 at Engen.
Den Nationale Scene is the national theatre of western Norway and the country's oldest permanent theatre company, descended from Det Norske Theater founded in Bergen in 1850. Henrik Ibsen worked there as writer and stage director from 1851 to 1857, and Bjornstjerne Bjornson led the company afterwards. The present playhouse at Engen was won in competition by the young architect Einar Oscar Schou in 1904, built from 1906 and opened on 19 February 1909 in the presence of King Haakon VII and Queen Maud.
The building is regarded as the leading Norwegian expression of Art Nouveau architecture and was listed by the Directorate for Cultural Heritage in 1993. Its auditorium, foyer and lobby were badly damaged during the Second World War, and restoration work completed in 2001 returned the interiors close to their original form. The theatre works across three stages, presenting classic drama, new Norwegian writing and work for young audiences, and takes part in the Bergen International Festival.
Highlights
- The foremost Art Nouveau theatre building in Norway, listed in 1993
- Descends from the company Henrik Ibsen directed in the 1850s
- Three stages, from the main auditorium to the studio Lille Scene
- Statue of Ibsen and a small theatre park in front of the facade
