Hearst Greek Theatre

The William Randolph Hearst Greek Theatre, often abbreviated to the Greek Theatre Hearst Greek Theatre or, is an open air theater in the style of the Greek amphitheater and can accommodate 8,500 spectators. Owner and operator of the facility is the University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley.

The Greek Theatre is the venue for the Berkeley Jazz Festival and various concerts. Find graduation ceremonies and festivals like the university and found here just as much as appearances known speakers, including Theodore Roosevelt, William Randolph Hearst or Tenzin Gyatsho, the 14th Dalai Lama.

History

The Greek theater was built in 1903. At the site there was previously a similar, smaller facility in 1894, which was referred to as Ben Weed 's amphitheater. The project had the then President of the University, Benjamin Ide Wheeler, a prominent advocate and was the first university building, which was designed by John Galen Howard. The construction was financed by the media tycoon William Randolph Hearst, whose name it then received. Stylistically, the building is very similar to the ancient theater of Epidaurus.

The official opening took place on September 24, 1903 with a student production of Aristophanes' comedy The Birds instead. In fact, the theater was used for the first time, however, already nearing completion: In May 1903 a graduation ceremony of the University was to be addressed by Theodore Roosevelt, a friend of Benjamin Ide Wheeler, on the plant instead.

In 1982, the theater in the National Register of Historic Places was recorded.