Ethiopian National Theatre
የኢትዮጵያ ብሄራዊ ቲያትር | |
Interactive map of Ethiopian National Theatre | |
| Former names | Haile Selassie I Theater (1955–1975) |
|---|---|
| Address | Gambia St, Arada district Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
| Coordinates | 9°00′58″N 38°45′07″E / 9.0161°N 38.7519°E |
| Owner | Ethiopian government |
| Capacity | 1,500 |
| Type | National theater |
| Events | Multipurpose, often entertainment |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1955 |
| Renovated | 2019 |
| Construction cost | 400 million birr (renovation) |
| Main contractors | Addis Mebratu Consulting Architects & Engineers |
The Ethiopian National Theatre (Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ብሄራዊ ቲያትር) is a national theatre in central Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Formerly known as Haile Selassie I Theater, it was initially built by Italians during its occupation of Ethiopia as Cinema Marconi, which consisted of some 250 seats.
In 1955, the theatre was established as national theatre under Emperor Haile Selassie. The Austrian composer Franz Zelwecker was the first director general of the theatre. In 2019, plan to build new headquarter has been commenced.