Slovene National Theatre Maribor
Slovenia's only theatre combining drama, opera and ballet under one roof, on Slovenska ulica.
Theatre life in Maribor dates from 1785, and the present house on Slovenska ulica was built in 1852 to plans by the railway engineers Adam Wiesinger and Gustav Lahn, with building work by Janez Nusshold. It was enlarged in 1864 and served a German company until 1919, when the Dramatic Society founded in 1909 moved in and created the first Slovene professional ensemble in the city. The theatre was designated a national institution after the Second World War.
Today the Slovene National Theatre Maribor is the only Slovenian theatre that unites drama, opera, ballet and a symphony orchestra in one organisation. Its complex holds the Grand Hall, opened in 1994, the restored Old Hall and a studio stage, and stages Wagner, Mozart and Puccini alongside new Slovene drama and contemporary dance. The theatre also organises the Maribor Theatre Festival, the Borštnik Meeting, the principal annual review of Slovene theatre, held each June.
Highlights
- Drama, opera, ballet and a symphony orchestra in one institution
- Historic 1852 auditorium alongside the Grand Hall of 1994
- Organiser of the Borštnik Meeting, Slovenia's main theatre festival
- Ballet company long directed by choreographer Edward Clug
