Bahrain National Theatre

Where it is

The theatre sits right beside the Bahrain National Museum on the Manama waterfront, so the two form a small cultural quarter. Its glass walls open onto a pool and the sea, and in the evening the lit interior is visible from the water's edge.

What happens here

The programme mixes classical and Arabic music, orchestras and soloists, dance companies, theatre and touring productions. Many performances cluster in the cooler months, when the island's arts calendar is busiest, and the theatre often hosts parts of the spring cultural season that brings visiting artists to several venues around the country.

The main auditorium seats roughly a thousand people in a horseshoe of tiers, a layout that keeps even the back rows fairly close to the stage.

A short history

The theatre opened in 2012 as the country's first purpose-built national stage. It was designed by the Paris-based practice Architecture-Studio, which wrapped the auditorium in a wide, overhanging roof that shades the glass lobby, a practical response to strong sun as much as a design statement. Inside, the auditorium is lined with warm timber, and decorative screens recall the patterned woodwork found in older island houses.

Visitor notes

Tickets, programmes and dress expectations are set by each production, so start with the theatre's own announcements. Smart casual is the safe default for evening performances. Arrive early enough to walk around the building; the waterfront and the museum forecourt are pleasant before a show, and the lobby itself is one of the more striking modern interiors in Manama.

Combining it with the waterfront

Because the theatre shares its site with the National Museum, an afternoon in the galleries followed by an evening performance makes an easy cultural day without any travel in between. The grounds between the two buildings face the water, and on cool evenings the walk along the edge, with the lights of Muharraq across the bay, is a pleasant prelude to a show.