Rådstua

Rådstua is a compact theatre house in Norway, set within a civic complex of old masonry and newer glass. Its façade brings together protected nineteenth-century fabric and a later theatre wing. The new vestibule opens towards a renovated square and pocket park, while rehearsals and conversations continue behind the walls. The older block began serving as town hall, police station and prison in 1864.

After the prison wing disappeared in the 1970s, the site moved through provisional use before supporting amateur and regional theatre in the 1980s and 1990s. Municipal management supports local companies, including Rimfrost. A black box measures roughly ten by eighteen metres, rises 5.8 metres, and seats about 105 people. Speilsalen offers a smaller stage and rehearsal room for 28 people.

The 2018 Prison Break competition guided an addition with a larger foyer, workshops and public spaces beside the historic structure. The expansion, completed in the early 2020s, sets dark masonry against broad glass surfaces. Look up for the small dachshund motif that often appears on the roof in local photographs.