East Pyongyang Grand Theatre

The East Pyongyang Grand Theatre is a 2,500-seat theatre located in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. It was the site of the 2008 concert by the New York Philharmonic, which was the first significant cultural visit to North Korea by the United States since the Korean War.[1]

Not to be confused with Pyongyang Grand Theatre.
East Pyongyang Grand Theatre
The Theatre building seen from the side
East Pyongyang Grand Theatre
Location within Pyongyang
LocationPyongyang, North Korea
Coordinates
Capacity2,500
Surface62,000 square metres (670,000 sq ft)
Construction
Built1989 (1989)
East Pyongyang Grand Theatre
Chosŏn'gŭl
동평양 대극장
Hancha
東平壤 大劇場
Revised RomanizationDongpyeongyang Daegeukjang
McCune–ReischauerTongp'yŏngyang Taekŭkchang

The hall was built in 1989 and is normally a venue for performances that celebrate North Korea's dynastic leaders and national achievements,[2] and "revolutionary operas that depict North Korea's struggles in song and dance." The December before the concert, it had hosted an opera honoring Kim Jong-suk, the mother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.[3]

On New Year's Day 2007, following reconstruction, the theatre hosted the Mansudae Art Troupe.[4] Its "massive" stage needed an acoustic shell built to properly project the orchestra's sound. The theatre was specifically chosen by Zarin Mehta, who rejected the home of the North Korea State Symphony as too small.[3]

The overall size is more than 62,000 square meters. A colonnaded great hall (lobby) includes a mural of Ulrim Falls.[4] According to a Reuters journalist, its architecture is "bland communist", and a "hulking, ramshackle structure the locals struggle to keep heated and lit at night."[5]

  • Auditorium of the Grand Theatre, 2006
  • Staff in the audio monitoring room, 2006
  • Lobby and chandeliers, 2006

See also

References
  1. North Korea welcomes the New York Philharmonic
  2. "In pictures: North Korea concert". BBC News. 26 February 2008.
  3. Evan Ramstad (February 21, 2008). "An American in Pyongyang". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
  4. "Renovated East Pyongyang Grand Theater". Korean News Service. January 22, 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
  5. Jeremy Laurence (February 25, 2008). "Kim Jong-il: Will he or won't he go to concert?". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
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