Orange Roman Theatre

Almost every Roman theatre lost its scaenae frons, the wall behind the stage, to stone robbing; Orange kept its. The wall is about one hundred and three metres long and thirty-seven high, and Louis XIV is said to have called it the finest wall in his kingdom. A statue of Augustus, three and a half metres tall, stands in the central niche, reassembled from fragments. The acoustics still work, which is why the Chorégies d'Orange, an opera festival running since 1869, uses the theatre each summer. A triumphal arch of the first century stands at the north edge of town, and both are UNESCO listed.

History

The theatre was built early in the 1st century AD, under Augustus, for the Roman colony of Arausio, founded in 40 BC by veterans of the second legion, and it is believed to be one of the first of its kind in this part of Gaul, where mime, pantomime, poetry readings and farces filled whole days. Its facade is 103 metres long and 37 metres high, a wooden roof once covered it until, as marks on the walls show, it burned, and it seated between 5,800 and 7,300 people; the 3.5-metre statue of Augustus in the central niche of the stage wall is most likely a restoration of an original statue of Apollo. The theatre is owned by the town of Orange and is home to the summer opera festival, the Chorégies d'Orange (Wikipedia, Roman Theatre of Orange).

What to look for

• The stage wall - a 103-metre Roman facade still standing full height.
• The Augustus statue - a three-and-a-half-metre emperor in the central niche.
• The seating bowl - tiers cut into the hillside, still used for opera.
• The triumphal arch - a first-century arch north of the centre.

When to go

April to October; the theatre closes to visitors during festival preparation and performances in July and August, so check dates. Summer heat in the bowl is severe.

What to expect

Closures for festival rigging can block visits for stretches of summer. Modern staging equipment is often in place. The town around is ordinary and the arch is on a busy road.

Nearby

Vaison-la-Romaine lies northeast; Chateauneuf-du-Pape is south.

Key facts