Press release: The foundation stone is now being laid Kloden theatre's new theatre house

June 23, 2026

A new national boost for performing arts for children and youth

Wednesday, June 24th marks the start of a new chapter for Norwegian performing arts when the foundation stone for the new Kloden Theatre building is laid in Hovinbyen in Oslo. This marks an important step towards the realization of a new national theatre building for children and youth.

Kloden The theatre is today a national stage for performing arts for children and young people. When the new theatre building opens in 2027, it will house two stages, five rehearsal rooms, workshops, teaching rooms, a café and shared offices, and will be a house built for art, community and the audience of the future.

The groundbreaking ceremony not only marks the start of construction, but also a long-term commitment to performing arts for children and young people.

– Children and young people deserve the very best art and cultural experiences. With the new theatre house, we are not only building a new cultural building, but a national meeting place where future generations will experience, explore and create performing arts for many years to come, says Ådne Sekkelsten, Artistic Director on Kloden theater.

The event brings together representatives from the cultural field, politics and the construction project for a solemn celebration of what will become one of Norway's most important cultural buildings for children and youth.

– Kloden theatre marks the start of the transformation of Kabelgata from an industrial area to a vibrant district. For us, this is about much more than just one building; we are developing a neighborhood where art, culture, innovation and great meeting places will create life throughout the day and week. Together with, among others, the Tårnet Kulturarena, Kloden "The theater is an important driver in the development of Kabelgata, and an important contribution to the future good urban life in Hovinbyen. The groundbreaking is an important milestone, and we look forward to the theater being completed in the spring of 2027," says Erling Langeland, CEO of Oxer Eiendom.

Minister of Culture and Equality Lubna Jaffery is in charge of the official laying of the foundation stone, where the City Councilor for Culture and Industry in Oslo, Mehmet Kaan Inan, is also one of the speakers during the ceremony, as well as the developer Ellen Karlsen Raaholt from Oxer eiendom.

A greeting to the future
 As part of the ceremony, children are invited to place their own drawings in a time capsule that is walled into the building, along with a letter to the future written by performing artist Mine Nilay Yalcin.
The Minister of Culture will then officially lay the foundation stone.

“A theater is about more than walls and ceilings,” says Sekkelsten. “It’s about the stories that will be told, the people that will be met, and the children who will discover the performing arts for the very first time.” Therefore, the foundation stone we are laying is also a symbol of the belief in the place of art in the society of the future.

After the official ceremony, guests are invited to cake and mingling.

Groundbreaking ceremony at Kloden theater

Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 AM. Meet 15 minutes before
Location: Construction site at Kabelgata 19, Kloden theater

Program:

About Kloden Theatre
 Kloden The theatre is a national stage for performing arts for children and young people. The theatre presents performances from Norway and abroad throughout the year and is also a national hub for the development, production and dissemination of performing arts for a young audience, as well as a production site for the independent performing arts field. At the same time, Kloden theatre the first national arts institution in Groruddalen and a spearhead in Northern Europe's largest urban development project, Hovinbyen. When the new theatre building is completed in 2027, it will Kloden The theatre is one of Europe's most modern venues for performing arts for children and young people.

About Oxer Property
Oxer Eiendom is a private real estate company owned by Ellen Karlsen Raaholt and family. With roots dating back to 1945 and Ole K. Karlsen AS, the company has over 80 years of experience in leasing, managing and developing real estate. Today, Oxer Eiendom owns and manages approximately 160,000 square meters of property in the area from Økern in Oslo, via Asker to Drammen, Ytre Enebakk and Vestfold, in addition to approximately 395,000 square meters of housing and commercial development, of which 2,180 are homes.

‍Kabelgata is one of Oxer Eiendom's most visionary projects. In the heart of Hovinbyen, they are developing Kabelgata, a vibrant neighborhood where art, culture and business form the framework for a new type of community. With a holistic and sustainable approach, they facilitate housing, small-scale production, circular solutions and innovative workplaces.

If you would like to be present at the groundbreaking ceremony, or to make an advance request, please contact communications manager Margareta Magnus Myhre.
Phone: +47 95 21 62 34
Email: margareta@ kloden .no