Sprawled across six hectares at the entrance of the Singapore River with a breathtaking waterfront location one can hardly imagine a more fitting milieu for a performance art centre of the magnitude of the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. As the island’s signature purpose built performance art centre this iconic structure named after the adjacent esplanade is fast gaining popularity among theatergoers from across the world as the venue to beat in Singapore’s cultural landscape.
Housing a concert hall with a 1600 spectator capacity and a ultra modern theatre with the space to seat 2000 viewers the Theatres on the Bay is also home to the library@esplanade which occupies its third floor and is the country’s only library devoted to performance art related disciplines. Having opened its doors to the public in 2002 the Esplanade was built at a cost of SG$ 600 million. Constructed according to the design concept of Michael Wilford & Partners and Singapore based DP Architects the Esplanade’s stunning appearance is said to resemble the prickly exterior of a durian fruit. Thus the locale is also locally known as the Big Durian.
The Concert Hall at the Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay is only one of five auditoriums in the world with ground breaking acoustics that are said to be nothing less than state-of-the-art. Housing a pipe organ designed and constructed by none other than Johannes Klais Orgelbau the hall also offers performers an orchestral platform that can accommodate up to 120 musicians. Built in the style of a European opera house the Esplanade’s theatre on the other hand boasts the biggest performance stage in the entire country with facilities and mechanisms in place to accommodate a variety of diverse performances. Although the theatre is a large space with 2000 seats arranged in a horse shoe pattern the distance between the stage and the final row of seats is only 40m.
A charming recital studio for intimate chamber music performances and other offerings is also on-site in addition to a theatre studio perfect for staging experimental theatre works and dance recitals. Despite its relatively brief history the Esplanade has played host to some of Asia’s most prestigious performers and international productions. Highlights include the musical “We Will Rock You” and the Mosaic Music Festival with works by Mathilda & the Motherfunkys and The Great Spy Experiment reigning supreme among the local theatre groups that staged shows at the venue.
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