Dramaten
The Royal Dramatic Theatre was given its own building in 1908. The façade of white marble with gilded details is Swedish Art Nouveau, with elements of the Viennese Secession. Several of the leading artists of the day, among them Carl Larsson, worked on the decoration, so that the whole building became a Gesamtkunstwerk.
The Royal Dramatic Theatre had long performed in borrowed and outdated premises, and around 1900 it was decided that the theatre should have its own building at Nybroplan. Fredrik Lilljekvist received the commission, and construction lasted from 1902 until the inauguration in February 1908. The theatre was built with a modern structure, electric lighting and stage machinery that was advanced for its time, but outwardly it was given a magnificent façade of white marble with gilded details. Lilljekvist wanted to create a Gesamtkunstwerk in which architecture, sculpture, painting and the applied arts worked together. Several of the leading artists of the day were therefore engaged while the building was still under construction. Costs ran high, and the project sparked debate about how much a national stage should cost, but the result gave the theatre a new and self-evident place in the city.
The façade facing Nybroplan is symmetrical, with the entrance in the centre and a tall section marking the auditorium behind. The forms are Art Nouveau with elements of the Viennese Secession: smooth marble surfaces, gilded bronze details, lanterns and sculptures depicting figures of drama and poetry. Inside lie the stair hall and foyers, whose walls and ceilings were painted by Carl Larsson among others; he executed the ceiling painting in the Grand Foyer. The auditorium of the main stage is built as a traditional tiered theatre with several balconies and rich decoration in gold and muted colours. The building also contains a smaller stage and extensive workshops, since the theatre made its own sets and costumes. Everything from light fittings to door handles was designed to fit the whole.
Dramaten became the stage for the great names of Swedish theatre in the 20th century, and Ingmar Bergman was for a time the theatre’s director and directed productions here over several decades. Over time the theatre has added more and smaller stages, including in premises nearby, and the old building has been technically modernised several times. The façade and the gilded details have been restored, so that the building today looks much as it did when new. It is one of the foremost examples of Swedish Art Nouveau and shows how the new European styles, especially from Vienna, were taken up in Sweden around 1900. It has also become a symbol of the theatre itself, and the name Dramaten is often used for both the institution and the building.