Shanghai Grand Theater
Opera, Ballet and Classical Music Hall
Phone: (021) 6372-8702 or
(021) 6372-8701
Tours: 9:00 - 11:00 & 1:00 to 4:00
Admission: Relative to Performance
Nearest Public Transit: Peoples Square Station, Line 1 & 2
Shanghai Grand Theater Website
The recently built Shanghai Grand Theatre is a magnificent addition to the city's resurging arts and culture scene. On the northwest side of the busy People's Square, this architecturally striking and modern theater hosts major international concerts and performances. It has played host to the Russian Kirov Ballet and the British Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Visitors can buy a ticket to tour the building, however, they would do better to purchase a ticket for a performance and have a look around for free.
With a total construction area of 62,803 square meters and a total height of 40 meters, the Shanghai Grand Theatre was designed by French designer Jean Marie Charpentier to combine the Eastern and Western flavors. At night it looks like a crystal palace as the white arc-shaped roof joins coherently with the light-sensitive glass curtain wall.
The lobby of Shanghai Grand Theatre is approximate 2000 square meters with white as its main tone, which signifies elegance and purity. A large chandelier, formed by six pan-pipe, is suspended in the lobby. The floor is made of a rare marble called "Greece Crystal White". The patterns shaped like piano keys, together with the pillar and the stairs, are full of rhythm.
The Shanghai Grand Theatre has three theatres for opera, ballet & theatre performances. With 1,800 seats, the lyric theatre is divided into a 3 storey auditorium with six side balconies. The drama theatre has 750 seats and the smaller studio theatre seats 300.
The lyric theatre has world-class stage facilities, which were designed and fabricated by MITSUBISHI. It is made up of a main stage, rear stage, and the left & right wings. All are completely removable and can be lifted, sloped and rotated. The lyric theatre also has fantastic acoustics construction and lighting equipment. Computer controlled stage equipment can satisfy the requirements of any world-class performing troupes. In addition to performances, the Shanghai Grand Theatre also has a 1,600 meter restaurant for tourists, a shopping center for audio-video products, VIP room, cafe, and underground garage.
Since its opening on August 27, 1998 the Shanghai Grand Theatre has successfully staged operas, musicals, ballets, symphonies, chamber music concerts, dramas and the Chinese operas. It has a high reputation both at home and abroad for its near perfect combination of art and architecture. It has become an important window of cultural exchange between China and the world and a bridge of artistic communication.
Adapted from: www.culture.sh.cn
Additional Information & Current Performance Listings
