Théâtre municipal de Calais, Theatre building in Calais, France
The Théâtre municipal de Calais is a baroque-style theatre building in the center of Calais, France. Its facade is decorated with statues representing the performing arts, and the horseshoe-shaped interior holds around 900 seats spread across four galleries.
The city of Calais acquired its first theatre building on the Rue Leveux in 1825, which could hold around 800 people. A new project was approved in 1885, and the foundation stone for the current building was laid in 1903 by French President Émile Loubet.
The theatre stands on Place Albert 1er, where the four main roads of Calais meet, making it easy to reach on foot from most parts of the city center. Visiting in the evening for a performance gives the best sense of how the building comes alive.
The stage machinery of this theatre was built entirely from iron, which was a technical innovation at the time of its construction. When it opened, it was only the third theatre in France to have such an iron stage system, after the Opéra-Comique and the Théâtre Français.
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