Stage roof

The architecture and structure of the roof over the current stage are resolutely contemporary and the fruit of extensive scientific and archaeological research.
To shelter the stage and protect wall decorations, the Romans built a wooden structure that supported a roof. The roof and its structure were destroyed by a huge fire that ravaged the theatre in the 4th century. At the top of the stage wall, reddish stone can still be seen; the colour is the result of having been exposed to very high temperatures. Although there is nothing left of it today, it is still possible to see traces of the roof, particularly in the faces of the wing walls running alongside the edges of the stage.
In the 20th century, a desire was voiced to reconstruct a stage roof to protect the ancient façade from the assaults of the weather. The project was highly complex in technical terms because the stone, weakened by the fire, could no longer support the same kind of structure as it did in Roman times.

The plans for creating this huge 1000-m² glass canopy were finalised in 2004 and the roof was completed in 2006. Rather than attempt to roughly reconstruct the original wooden structure, the decision was taken to move more towards modern architecture. As a result, this contemporary cover of glass and steel effectively protects the stage wall, highlights it and also integrates scenery for shows. To preserve the monument, the canopy is not supported by the ancient stone, but by a huge cross beam 61.70 metres long.

This project by the head architect of Monuments Historiques, Didier Repellin, does not in any way alter the unique and extraordinary acoustics of the theatre. Indeed its slightly oblique positioning, raised upwards, ensures that sound is successfully carried, as the voices that rise from the stage are reflected out towards the terraces.