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National Theatre

National Theatre, public theatre for performances, concerts and conferences, was at the corner of Clemenceau Avenue and River Valley Road, located in the Central Region. It was built to commemorate Singapore's self-government in 1959 and when completed in 1963, was the largest theatre in Singapore, with a capacity of 3,420 seats. It was the venue for various international performances and the annual National Day rallies. Offices of the National Theatre Trust were also located here. It was demolished in 1986.

Background
Costing S$2.2 million, it was opened on 8 August 1963 with its first show, the Southeast Asian Cultural Festival, attended by 11 Asian countries. While the government donated substantially towards the building of this theatre, the public also contributed through "a-dollar-a-brick" (S$1) campaign with song requests made on radio.

Description
An architectural competition led to Alfred Wong Partnership winning the award for the design of Singapore's first National Theatre. The most familiar perspective was the main frontage facing River Valley Road; a five-pointed facade which represented the five stars of the Singapore flag in the same way as the fountain was supposed to represent the crescent moon. It also had a revolving stage which was rarely used and cost S$10,000 annually to maintain.The semi-open air theatre was noteworthy for the spectacular 150-tonne cantilevered steel roof which covered the outdoor amphitheatre at the rear. Structural defects in the cantilever proved the theatre's downfall.

Ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn once described it as "the perfect one for this sort of climate".The many world famous and legendary personalities that have performed here include the Russian Bolshoi Ballet, the Sadlers Wells Ballet, the Louis Armstrong Jazz Band, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Woody Herman & his Orchestra, Johnny Mathis, Shirley Bassey, the Bee Gees, Hollies, Walker Brothers, the Yardbirds and Herman's Hermits. Many memorable cultural and popular music events took place here especially in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Closure and Demolition
However, with little advance notice, the building was labelled structurally unsafe, and its last performance held on 15 January 1984. Without any ceremony or fanfare, the National Theatre boarded up its doors and pulled down the curtains on an eventful era for local theatre. The National Theatre Trust moved to the smaller Kallang Theatre in March 1986. Demolition works took place between June to August 1986, just as the Kallang Theatre opened to its first performance in June of that year.



Author
Vernon Cornelius



References 
Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1988). Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places (p.239). Singapore: Times Books International.
(Call no.: RSING 915.957 EDW)

Tyers, R. K. (1993). Ray Tyers' Singapore: Then and now (p. 155). Singapore: Landmark Books.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 TYE)

(1984, January 16). [Microfilm: NL 14347] The Straits Times, p. 30.

All that's left of a grand old dame. (1986, June 6). The Straits Times.

Curtains for a dame. (1986, July 21). The Straits Times, p. 2.


List of Images
Curtains for a dame. (1986, July 21). This article has a profile of the National Theatre capturing the front and cantilevered roof, both before and after demolition. The Straits Times. 

The information in this article is valid as at and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history on the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Architecture and Landscape>>Building Types>>Public buildings
Arts>>Performing Arts>>Theatre
Theaters--Singapore
Arts>>Architecture>>Architectural structure



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