Esplanade Theatres on the Bay

Few buildings have created such a stir as this one. Opened in 2002, the eye-catching bayfront complex has been dubbed ‘the durians’ by locals because of its resemblance to the spiky tropical fruit. Built at a cost of $600 million, the Esplanade is Singapore’s premier performing arts centre and often draws comparisons with the Sydney Opera House. Its crown jewels are the 1,600-seat Concert Hall and the 2,000-seat Theatre. There is also a black box Theatre Studio (seating 220) and a Recital Studio (245). Programming is an eclectic mix, veering from Western to Eastern flavours and including festivals and touring productions.

Esplanade Recital Studio
The Recital Studio – which has a total capacity of 245 seats – boasts stellar acoustics, and is used for musical performances, seminars and press conferences.

Esplanade Rehearsal Studio
With a 100-person capacity, the Rehearsal Studio is of a similar size to the Theatre Stage and is most suitable for dance rehearsals and pre-performance warm up sessions, featuring long mirrors on three walls as well as ballet barres on all four sides.

Esplanade Outdoor Theatre
The Esplanade Outdoor Theatre hosts a variety of performances ranging from music, dance to theatre.

Esplanade Waterfront
With a seating capacity of 450 people, this spacious outdoor theatre by the waterfront along Marina Bay presents a variety of music, dance and theatre performances that, coupled with cool breezes and a gorgeous view of the city, make for a memorable experience.

Esplanade Theatre Studio
Of a similar size to the Esplanade Theatre’s main stage, the Theatre Studio can seat up to 220 people and offers a flexible performance space for various experimental theatre and dance presentations: three seating configurations are possible and the studio is equipped with highly adaptable staging, lighting and sound systems.

Esplanade The Edge
This open air facility can house medium to large-scale performances. It is used frequently during festivals to entertain the crowd along the waterfront.

Esplanade The Bay Room
Used for private events, and also the venue for some Esplanade programmes such as Bitesize and Learning Journeys.

Esplanade Concert Hall
The 1600-seat Concert Hall is the jewel-in-the-crown of The Esplanade.

Community Wall @ Esplanade
A location tucked away on the third floor of the Esplanade Mall means that this refreshing array of paintings by local and international artists often gets overlooked.