Theatre records

Thespis was the first performer ever recorded. He was an actor in Greece in 534 BC. At this time Greek actors used masks, and Thespis was the first to use stage make – up. The oldest indoor theatre in the world is the Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza, Italy, which opened on 3 March 1585. London’s oldest theatre is the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, which opened on 7 May 1663. It burnt down in 1672 and was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren. In 1800 it became the world’s first theatre to have safety curtains. The oldest surviving theatre in the USA is the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The National People’s Congress Building Theatre, Beijing, China was audiences of 10,000. The Perth Entertainment Centre, Australia (1976) has up to 8,500 seats, the Chaplin Havana, Cuba (1949) has 6,500 and Radio City Music Hall, New York, USA, has 6,200. The 3,483 – seater Hammersmith Odeon is the largest theatre in Britain, but the Royal Albert Hall in London can hold up to 7,000 depending on the event and how the seating is organized.