Macedonian National Theatre
The country's principal drama company, playing in a rebuilt theatre on the left bank of the Vardar.
The Macedonian National Theatre was constituted in 1945 as the country's central drama company, although professional theatre in Skopje goes back to the building erected on the Vardar quay in 1927. That theatre was wrecked by the earthquake of 1963 and later demolished. Its replacement, completed in 2013 on roughly the original foundations and in a version of the original neo-baroque style, forms part of the wider redevelopment of central Skopje.
The company keeps a repertory of Macedonian plays and international classics, from Chekhov and Shakespeare to contemporary writing by authors such as Dejan Dukovski, staged in a main auditorium and smaller studio spaces. The theatre also hosts festivals and visiting productions, and its ensemble tours abroad regularly. Performances are given in Macedonian, with surtitles provided for some productions, and tickets are sold at the box office and online.
Highlights
- Rebuilt in 2013 on the site of the 1927 theatre destroyed in the 1963 earthquake
- Repertory of Macedonian drama alongside Chekhov, Shakespeare and modern classics
- Main auditorium plus smaller studio stages on the Vardar quay
- Host venue for festivals and visiting companies
