While often some of the most beautiful, opulent buildings in a town or city, a theatre is so much more than a space for the performance of a play. It is a cultural hub, a meeting place for people from all walks of life and, through the stories told there, brings people together in numerous ways. Indeed, theatres have been doing so for over two millennia. The theatre comes in many forms. From the more rigid and repeated (but no less attractive) designs of Greek and Roman theatres, the buildings that now house our shared cultural output boast some of the finest, most creative structures in the world. Huge and cathedral-like or modest, concrete and futuristic or neo-Renaissance, we are lucky that the physical constructions themselves recapture the ambition of the arts performed within. With chapters organised by continent and featuring theatres and opera houses – and any space for the performing arts – from the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe and Australasia, Amazing Theatres of the World includes modern masterpieces and ancient remains, art deco delights and Baroque classics, taking in centuries of theatre building. Both the exterior and the interior of buildings are examined, as well as behind-the-scenes shots of dressing rooms and the mechanics of putting on a show. In so doing, we catch a glimpse of how the performing arts and their home has evolved over time. Illustrated with more than 190 photographs, Amazing Theatres of the World includes more than 150 of the most stunning theatres and opera houses.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Europe Sea theatre at Bregenz Festival, Bregenz, Austria Meiningen State Theatre, Thuringia, Germany Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Athens, Greece Hungarian State Opera House, Budapest, Hungary Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, Russia Teatro di San Carlo, Naples, Italy Oslo Opera House Oslo, Norway Roman theatre, Cartagena, Spain Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona, Spain Auditorium Opera House, Tenerife, Spain Palais Garnier, Paris, France Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe, Paris, France Salle Richelieu, Paris, France Théâtre de la Gaîté-Montparnasse, Paris, France Le Moulin Rouge, Paris, France Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France Royal Albert Hall, London, UK The Old Vic, London UK Shakespeare’s Globe, London, UK The National Theatre, London, UK Minack Theatre, Cornwall, UK North America Winter Garden, Toronto, Canada Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, Mexico Cherry Tree Theatre, New York City, USA New Amsterdam theatre, New York City, USA Delacorte Theater, New York City, USA Metropolitan Opera House, New York City, USA Tampa Theatre, Florida, USA Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, USA Central & South America Ataneo Grand Splendid, Buenos Aires, Argentina Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, Argentina Municipal Theatre of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Amazon Theatre, Manaus, Brazil Municipal Theatre of Santiago, Chile Teatro de Cristóbal, Bogotá, Colombia Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex, Caracas, Venezuela Asia National Grand Theatre, Beijing, China Fosun Foundation arts centre, Shanghai, China Wuzhen Theatre, China Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Hong Kong Kabuki-za, Tokyo, Japan The Esplanade, Singapore Municipal Theatre, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Africa & the Middle East Cairo Opera House Cairo, Egypt Khedivial Opera House, Cairo, Egypt Damanhur Opera House, Damanhur, Egypt National Arts Theatre, Lagos, Nigeria Market Theatre, Johannesburg, South Africa South African State Theatre, Pretoria, South Africa Dubai Opera, Dubai, UAE Australasia & the Pacific Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia The Capitol Theatre, Sydney, Australia State Theatre Centre of Western Australia, Perth, Australia Southbank Theatre, Melbourne, Australia Capitol House and Theatre, Melbourne, Australia Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat, Australia Civic Theatre, Auckland, New Zealand Isaac theatre Royal, Christchurch, New Zealand