A revolving auditorium is a mechanically controlled seating area within a theatre which can be rotated in order to manipulate the change of scenery and stage sets during the performance. Revolving auditoriums are favoured by open-air theatres in particular, because they are ideally suited for the use of natural scenery as an integral part of the set.
The first revolving auditoriums in Europe were built in 1959 in Finland and the Czech Republic (then Czechoslovakia), respectively. The auditorium in Pyynikin Kesäteatteri, Tampere, was the first of its kind to be powered by electrical machinery, whereas the auditorium in the old Baroque Castle Gardens in Český Krumlov, South Bohemia, required 40 people to power its movements.