The Ethiopian National Theatre is a national theatre group of Ethiopia, based in central Addis Ababa.
Formerly known as the Haile Selassie I Theatre, the hall had begun to be built during the Italian occupation as the Cinema Marconi with some 350 seats. However, in 1955 the building was completed 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 who had recruited a band with the main objective to play Ethiopian songs by soloists accompanied by a modern orchestra.
The Austrian composer Franz Zelwecker became the first director of the National Theatre.
The theatre is divided into two directorates, one for theatre and the other for music. The music directorate includes the Izra Folk Music and Dance Group, Yared Modern Orchestra, Dawit POP Orchestra and String Orchestra.