Formerly known as the Haile Selassie I Theater,[1] the hall had begun to be built during the Italian occupation as the Cinema Marconi with some 350 seats.

The building was later completed in 1955 for the celebrations of the Silver Jubilee, and expanded to seat 1260 people.

The theatre group was founded by the government in the late 1940s, with the main objective of playing Ethiopian songs by soloists accompanied by a modern orchestra.

The Austrian composer Franz Zelwecker became the first director of the National Theater.

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