Queen Lovisa Ulrika commissioned the first theater at Drottningholm, which opened in 1754 and burned on August 27, 1762. Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz designed the replacement, which was built from 1764 to 1766, and Adrien Masreliez decorated the interior. Limited funds produced a sparer design than the Versailles-style one intended.
The exterior is plain, like a country manor, while the interior uses trompe l'oeil, papier-mâché and stucco to imitate marble and gold. The auditorium is T-shaped, and the stage is 27 by 57 feet (8.2 by 17.4 meters). The original machinery can change scenes in as little as six seconds.
After Gustav III's assassination in 1792 the theater became a storehouse. Agne Beijer rediscovered it in 1921. It is part of the Royal Domain of Drottningholm, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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