Nelum Pokuna

The Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre is a performance centre to showcase large scale theatrical productions. The concept was created by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa with the intention of honouring our country’s history of theatre by offering state patronage to performers. This building was designed by the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design while the project was executed under the supervision of local architects. The structural design was inspired by the Lotus Pond found in Polonnaruwa. Construction of this performing arts theatre was carried out by China and the funds required for this project was provided by the Chinese Government as a grant. This building covers approximately 14,000 square metres of floor area.
It consists of two venues; the main auditorium and the open air amphitheatre. This created an excellent opportunity for local and international artists to host their performances. Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre consists of 7 floors. The main auditorium can accommodate up to 1288 people and consists of 3 tiers; two balconies and the ground tier. The Open Air Amphitheatre’s total seating capacity is over 300 and is used for smaller productions. Since the opening of this theatre, many world famous artists have performed at this venue such as Broadway musicals of “The Sound of Music” and “Mama Mia” of which both took Sri Lanka by storm.