In Europe, Norway is a very young country as far as theatre traditions are concerned. Professional theatre only started in 1827. Norway's oldest existing theatre is the National Theatre, Bergen, which has been operating continuously since 1876. The National Theatre, Oslo was not established until 1899.

During the last quarter century there has been considerable growth in theatre provision. This started in the 1960s and 1970s when the permanent theatres of the big cities - the National Theatre, the Norwegian Theatre and the Oslo New Theatre in Oslo, the National Stage in Bergen, the Rogaland Theatre in Stavanger and the Trøndelag Theatre in Trondheim - developed and established subsidiary companies.

Use the navigation bar on the left to read more about theatre in Norway, or alternatively make direct contact with organisations and individuals working in this sector through our extensive database of KEY CONTACTS.