位于海拔约2355米的埃塞俄比亚首都亚的斯亚贝巴(Addis Ababa),丘吉尔大道(Churchill Avenue)的坡道上矗立着一座见证了国家现代史的标志性建筑。埃塞俄比亚国家剧院(Ethiopian National Theatre)于1955年海尔·塞拉西皇帝(Emperor Haile Selassie I)登基25周年的银禧庆典上正式落成。这里早先是意大利占领时期尚未完工的马可尼电影院(Cinema Marconi),后来由法国建筑师亨利·乔梅特(Henri Chomette)改建,最终成为东非重要的表演艺术中心。走在剧院门前,那尊象征皇室威严的犹大之狮雕像正对着街道,即便你对戏剧不感兴趣,这栋融合了欧洲现代主义与非洲在地石材的建筑本身也足够吸引目光。
很多人来到剧院,首先被那略显老旧却气场十足的外立面震撼。亨利·乔梅特在设计时并没有照搬欧洲剧院的浮华,而是通过分层石材和极具几何感的线条,赋予了建筑一种安静的力量。剧院内部大厅挑高将近15米,侧墙铺满了厚实的木质面板,这种处理不仅是为了美观,更是为了在高海拔干燥环境下维持极佳的声学效果。大厅两侧那对称的未经抛光的石砌楼梯,散发着一种粗犷而沉稳的美感,走在上面甚至能听到回声,这种空间感在如今流水线式的现代大楼里很难找到。
剧院落成之初是为了在国际宾客面前展示埃塞俄比亚的现代化面貌。原本只能容纳约300人的狭小空间被扩建到了能坐下约1260位观众的宏大剧场。这里不仅仅是演出场所,更是埃塞俄比亚文化自信的象征。老一辈的亚的斯亚贝巴人常说,当年进剧院看戏是件极具仪式感的事情,大家都会穿上压箱底的白袍子或西装。如今虽然氛围轻松了不少,但这种沉淀了近七十年的仪式感依然残留在老旧的绒面座椅和泛黄的灯光之间。
说到购票,以前确实让不少游客头疼。要在那个狭窄的售票窗口前,对着全是阿姆哈拉语(Amharic)的告示牌盲猜,通常还得在人堆里挤上半天。好消息是,剧院从2025年开始与当地科技公司合作,推出了在线购票系统。现在的票价也由过去长年维持的80比尔调整到了200比尔左右(约合2.5美元)。虽然价格翻了一倍多,但对于国际游客来说依然非常低廉,这笔收入主要用于支持剧院那270多名演职人员的日常开支和陈旧设施的维护。如果你想看热门的阿姆哈拉语喜剧,最好提前在官网上查好时间,因为本地观众的热情超乎想象,即便有1200多个座儿,好位置也经常被抢光。
剧院的节目单非常丰富。周一、周六和周日通常是租赁给外部团体的,而剧院自己的民族歌舞团和剧团则会在周五和周日傍晚安排演出。比如由著名导演执导、翻译成阿姆哈拉语的布莱希特名剧《胆大妈妈和她的孩子们》(Mother Courage),自2019年首演以来已经成了这里的常青树。即便你一句阿姆哈拉语也听不懂,那种充满了东非节奏的台词韵律和演员极具张力的肢体语言,也足以让你看进心里去。演出通常在傍晚6点左右开始,在这个时间点,亚的斯亚贝巴的气温会迅速下降,进场前最好带件外套。
看完演出出来,正是亚的斯亚贝巴最迷人的黄昏时刻。剧院周边的丘吉尔大道是这座城市的脊梁,斜坡路两旁分布着不少卖手工艺品的小店和老牌咖啡馆。你可以沿着斜坡向下走,呼吸着高原微凉且带着一点木柴烟味的空气,顺道看看街边那些卖古董邮票和旧钱币的小摊。说真的,这一带的人情味儿很浓,不少路人看你是外国面孔会友好地打招呼,这种体验比在封闭的购物中心里游荡要鲜活得多。
钱的问题要算清楚,安全和交通也得留心。演出散场时,剧院门口的甘比亚路(Gambia St)会瞬间变成大型停车场。如果你打算打车回酒店,建议提前下载好Ride或者Feres这类当地打车软件。在这个点儿,千万别去路边拦那种蓝白色的拉达老出租车,价格通常会给你报得离谱。如果你不赶时间,在剧院大厅再溜达一会儿,看看墙上那些记录了过去70年艺术瞬间的照片和戏服,等那一阵人潮散去再出门。这种不紧不慢的节奏,才是打开埃塞俄比亚生活的正确方式。
绝大多数演出使用阿姆哈拉语,目前并没有同步字幕设备。不过戏剧表演重在神采和节奏,如果是传统歌舞(Traditional Dance)演出,完全没有语言门槛,那种独特的肩膀抖动舞(Iskista)具有极强的感染力。你可以先在门口了解下当天演出的类型,如果确实担心看不懂,选择周五或周六的传统歌舞场次最为保险。
作为一座有近70年历史的老建筑,虽然在2019年和2025年经历了部分翻新,但座椅的舒适度确实一般,部分区域可能显得比较局促。由于高原气候干燥且通风设施有限,演出过半时场内空气可能会略显闷热。不过那15米高的天花板和充满历史感的木质内饰,足以弥补硬件上的小缺陷。
剧院并没有严格的着装规定(Dress Code),但本地中产阶级和艺术家们在观演时通常比较体面,男士穿衬衫、女士穿传统服饰或职业装很常见。作为游客,穿着干净整洁的休闲装即可,尽量避免背心或拖鞋入场。此外,进场时会有安全检查,大型背包可能需要寄存,建议轻装简行以缩短进场时间。
Tigs Chadder Graceful place that needs renovation urgently if it is still to stay relevant. Disappointing stage play with a very tiny backdrop - perhaps the hosts of the evening the Italian Embassy in Ethiopia and Italian cultural centre should have invested better with the subtitling too. Really sorry but it was a waste of our time!
bk Med Ethiopian National theater is one of the vintage cinemas in the city. They host local movies but they are known for their theaters. Most of them are well known that they were on the stage for more than 10 years. It is the best place for those who are theater lovers. There is a waiting row usually. And there are guys who ask you if you need to be in front. They ask you for money for pulling you to the front. But this is unnecessary as the theater is rarely full and you are very unlikely to not have a seat. If you are able to wait just few minutes on the waiting row you will definitely find a seat. Concerning parking, there is parking slot just in front, on the other side of the road. The place is relatively safe and you may park there even at night time. But make sure you took the basic safety measures like locking all doors and placing all your valuable in a place that can not be seen through the window. Otherwise take all your valuable matterials, like laptop, with you and you may place it to a secure room at the theater.
Farida AYK It’s an old building that was well maintained. The inside it’s absolutely beautiful.
Mikiyas Melkamu Ethiopian National Theatre is a historic and cultural gem in the city. The building itself has a lot of character and charm, and it's clear that a lot of care has been put into preserving its history. However, the seating arrangements leave something to be desired they could be more comfortable. Additionally, the ticketing process is a bit disorganized, with long lines forming to purchase tickets even when the theater is far from full. This can be frustrating, especially since the shows don't always start on time. Overall, while the National Theatre is a great place to experience the arts and culture of Ethiopia, there are definitely some areas that could use improvement.
ዳግማዊ ሰለሞን A historical and graceful place. My favourite place to watch a theatre. I have watched "ባቢሎን በሳሎን" for the second times. The theatre is a comedy type but also with valuable points. I thought that people are not on to theatre anymore but, the place was full which proved me wrong.