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:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Tony Zammit (9 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 (10 months ago)
A short tour of this historic, beautiful theatre. Going back stage would have been nice. Was only 5 euros, though.

natalia ds (11 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 (13 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.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.

Manoel Theatre

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus