Original Theatre
Work began at the end of the seventeenth century under the architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and was completed by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger. The interior was decorated between 1665 and 1703, at first in a heavy, sumptuous baroque style, but later increasingly refined to French patterns. During the 18th century, it was used as a stage for French theatre, such as the Du Londel Troupe (1753-1771).
The predecessor to the present theatre was destroyed by a fire in 1762. The present 400-seat opera house was opened in 1766 by Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz for Queen Lovisa Ulrika. Its interior decoration is made from a mixture of stucco, papier-mâché, and painting. The stage machinery, designed by the Italian, Donato Stopani, is still intact and it includes a wave machine, thunder machine, and a flying chair which is often used for deus ex machina effects.
After the assassination of King Gustav III in 1792 (which is the basis of the Giuseppe Verdi opera, Un ballo in maschera), the theatre was forgotten.
Read more about this topic: Drottningholm Palace Theatre
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