In the heart of the theater
On one weekend day of the month, without a known date in advance (is it Saturday or Sunday, is it the first or third weekend...), the National Theater in Belgrade opens its doors to interested visitors, who, first of all, listen to the story of the curator and manager Museum of the National Theater, and then a tour of the theater, they learn about the history and organization of this institution.
In the two hours that the guided tour lasts, visitors can learn about the history of this theater, as well as look "behind the curtain".
The interesting lecture of our host, which lasted the whole hour, was in no way difficult for us, because the historical facts that were told are very interesting...
The theater building, as it is today, celebrated its 155th anniversary, and what has happened throughout its history, the curator told us.
In 1842, the idea of establishing a professional theater in Belgrade was born.
For such a thing, it is necessary to have a building in which the performances will take place.
It was necessary to provide a permanent "house" for the actors from traveling troupes and guest appearances in bars, hotels, tents.
In the spring of 1868, the leader of the country, Prince Mihajlo Obrenović, gave an order to build a theater building. Unfortunately, he did not live to see its construction, he was assassinated on May 29 of the same year.
The construction of the theater continued, however, and the building was completed in 1869, so that on October 30, 1869, the first performance was performed in the newly built theater.
From that distant year in 1869 until today, the theater building had two serious reconstructions. 1922 and 1989, when the building got its present appearance.
It stands proudly in the heart of the city, opposite the monument to Mihajlo Obrenovic, who was its biggest benefactor.
As soon as we found out about the date of this tour, we bought tickets because we wanted to see the theater building from a different perspective.
Yes, we visited it as an audience, admiring ballet and opera performances, and this weekend, we did it in a slightly different way, we went "behind the scenes".
We pass through the hall of the theater where we linger for a while before the show begins - visitors wait in line in front of the cloakroom to leave their coats, fur coats and jackets... Then they ask the hostess where their seat is. seats... That first encounter with the entrance hall is usually quickly forgotten because of the crowd, and the hall itself has an interesting history.
A plaque with the names of benefactors, a plaque with the date of the opening, as well as a bust of Prince Mihajlo Obrenovica, the model on which the monument was made on Trg Republike, opposite the theater building.
Than we enter the hall (in which we have been several times), but we have never entered the hall until now when the curtains were raised.
We sit in a close row and enjoy following the story that the curator takes us through the history of the theater, through the organization of plays, parts of the theater, etc.
The interior of the theater had several changes in appearance.
The hall underwent the biggest change in appearance during the communist era, when the boxes were dismantled and the interior was painted in gray-blue shades...
With the reconstruction in 1989, the interior is restored to its present appearance, vines are built again and everything is covered in golden red color.
And finally, after an hour of enjoying the curator's story, viewing the paintings on the ceiling, various ornaments in the galleries, we get up and leave "behind the curtain".
For the first time in my life, I can look at the theater hall from this perspective.
A movable circular platform that gives greater possibilities of moving the scene in a very narrow and deep stage, an orchestra "hole" that can be raised to the level of the stage with hydraulics, reflectors, sound equipment, props for an instant performance - they are the heart of the stage.
From the stage, we take a guided tour to the rooms behind.
There are rooms for actors, dressing rooms, a tailor's workshop, a make-up room.
They did not allow us to enter the make-up room, the make-up was in progress for the rehearsal of the play. In the corridor, we find the members ready to play, in their costumes.
The curator takes us to a tailor's workshop where there were no workers. There we had the opportunity to see some of the costumes and to hear interesting stories about the heavy iron for ironing edges, about some famous costumes.
We could take pictures of sewing machines...
And as the best moment, we could freely move around the lodges.
With the opportunity to view the stage from different parts of the gallery, I immediately made a plan of which seats I would reserve for the next show we would see in this theater.
We were allowed to go out to the balcony above the main entrance to the theater, from which there is a view of Trg Republike and the monument to Prince Mihajlo, a balcony that served as a stage for speakers during demonstrations and rallies several times in our history. ..
The most beautiful part of the theater, apart from the hall itself and the entrance hall, is the space on the first floor, which is located behind a large balcony with a beautifully decorated ceiling.
Red curtains, golden ornaments, lamps with crystals, armchairs, busts, costumes and jewelry from the plays, all these are displayed in these halls.
After taking pictures in the lounge and lobby, we head to the exit, where we get our jackets and bring this tour that made the weekend special to an end.
This was a wonderful #weekendexperience, especially considering that I experienced something for the first time in my life.
Thank you for stopping by my post and I hope you enjoyed the photos and the story I shared with you
All photos are my property, taken with a mobile phone