Manoel Theatre, Valletta, Malta

The Manoel Theatre is one of the oldest working theatres in Europe. Constructed in 1731 by the Grand Master Antonio Manoel de Vilhena the theatre is a baroque gem with a wonderful acoustic and a full calendar of events populated by local and international performers, with productions in English and Maltese.

The theatre is located on Old Theatre Street in Valletta. It considers itself as the country's national theatre and the home of Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. Originally called the Teatro Pubblico, its name was changed to Teatro Reale, or Theatre Royal, in 1812, and renamed Manoel Theatre in 1866. The first play to be performed was Maffei's Merope. The theatre is a small, 623 seat venue, with an oval-shaped auditorium, three tiers of boxes constructed entirely of wood, decorated with gold leaf, and a pale blue trompe-l'oeil ceiling that resembles a round cupola.

References:

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User Reviews

Tony Zammit (11 months ago)
Wonderful old theatre. Went to see Cabaret. Had nice Box seats with slightly limited view but could still see majority of the stage.

Gary Noyes (12 months ago)
A short tour of this historic, beautiful theatre. Going back stage would have been nice. Was only 5 euros, though.

natalia ds (13 months ago)
If you are interested in theatre Teatru Manoel is a MUST in your visit. The 3rd oldest theatre in the world never to be shut down. Even during WW2 it was open. Very beautiful

Bondy 007 (15 months ago)
Sensational production absolutely... All the performers are such amazing professionals thank you, It was a wonderful ending to a two week vacation ... A HUGE fault by this Teatru Manoel is those ridiculous so-called vintage seats in the Gallery they are discussing, I couldn't believe you would actually sell or even seat people beside schaffolding and stage light with no stage viewing whatsoever... WHO wants to lean forward for hours avoiding such items when paying good money ... Everybody deserves to watch such performances in comfort. YOU TRY IT !!! Ciao Wendy.

IasminaYelMar (2 years ago)
As the Manoel theater is the first theater to be built in Europe, you must visit it. The guide was very kind and very clear w/ the history info Unfortunately we couldn't visit the museum and the other parts of the building because of some works taking place in that moment. Magical place.

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Argos Theater

The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.

The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.

Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.

Manoel Theatre

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