National Theater in critically poor condition

National TheaterNational Theater.Photo: Norway Today Media

The National Theater has an serious need for refurbishment both inside and outside. The National Theater’s Chairman and actors are in despair over the building’s decay.

-The degree of decay is worsening day by day, and so do the costs to maintain the building in proper condition, says Chairman Anne Enger to Klassekampen.

She says it’s embarrassing for all parties and the Cultural Ministers, including herself, that this magnificent building is in such decay that recently we had to secure the facade to prevent passers-by from being injured by falling debris.

Enger was Culture Minister in the late 90s, and now she has requested a meeting with the current Culture Minister Linda Hofstad Helleland to ensure that the renovations get started as quickly as possible. The Ministry of Culture confirms that the Board of Directors at the theater will be invited to meet shortly.

Heidi Goldmann, the local union representative for the Norwegian Actors’ Equity Association, says that those who are working within the building notice the decay daily.

It smells bad, the changing rooms are noisy and the ventilation is poor. The paint is peeling off and there are tears in the chair cushions. Dead rats have been found in the pipes, and we wonder if the spotlights will soon fall on our head while we’re on stage, she says.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today