Altes Theater (Leipzig)
The old theater was the first theater stage in Leipzig. It stood at the Richard -Wagner-Platz, which was previously called Fleischer space / theater space and before Rannische Bastion.
The theater on the Rannischen bastion was built in 1766 by Georg Rudolph Fäsch ( 1710-1787 ) on the foundations of the city walls commissioned by the merchant Benedict Zehmisch. It had three tiers and boxes 1186 seats and floor parquet. The opening took place on 7 October of the same year with the tragedy of Hermann Johann Elias Schlegel place, as well as a ballet, and a comedy. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe lived at the opening as a spectator and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing in 1768 a performance of his comedy Minna von Barn-helm. Johann Adam Hiller was here his singing games list.
1796 and 1802 were carried out conversions and extensions. In 1817 it was finally redesigned by Friedrich Weinbrenner and university architect Carl August Benjamin Siegel in classical style and reopened on August 26, 1817 as a theater of the city of Leipzig. Here then found 1828/29 also include the world premieres of Heinrich Marschner's Der Vampyr and The Templar and the Jewess instead. From 1829 to 1832 it served as the Saxon Court Theatre, then the line came back into private hands. After the construction of the New Theatre, in 1868, the house was renamed the Altes Theater and used only for acting and minor operas. Since 1912 it was again administered by the city of Leipzig.
On December 7, 1912 Peterchens trip to the moon by Gerdt von Bassewitz hosted the premiere of the fairy tale game in six images instead, which then from 1915 as a book with illustrations became a classic of German children's and youth literature. On December 8, 1923 the premiere of Bertolt Brecht's Baal drama took place here. It caused a scandal. The piece was sold at the urging of the mayor from the board again.
During the Second World War, on the night of 3 to 4 December 1943 destroyed a British air attack many culturally significant buildings in Leipzig. Were affected as well as the new and the old theater, the ruins of which was demolished after the war.