Palace of Culture Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
Palace of Culture Kuala Lumpur
The Istana Budaya or also known as the Palace of Culture, is Malaysia's main venue for all types of theatre including musical theatre, operetta, classical concerts and opera from local and international performances.
The idea of this theatre began with the proposal in 1964 to establish a cultural center. The construction work began in 1995 and was completed three years later. It was built at a cost of RM210 million with a theatre floor area of 21,000 m² as part of the 54,400 m² cultural complex. The Istana Budaya was officially opened in 1999 by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Upon completion, the former national theatre, Panggung Negara was relocated to this new building. Istana Budaya is the home of the Residence Artists (Dance); the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) and the Orchestra Traditional Malaysia (OTM).
Istana Budaya aims to raise the standards of performing arts, develop artistic excellence in theatre, popularise high-quality theatre productions and develop a higher sense of artistic appreciation.
Istana Budaya has staged many notable opera performances including The Merry Widow, Tosca, La Bohème, Turandot and Carmen accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra and chorus. It has also become the main venue for the successful local musical production, Puteri Gunung Ledang.