Grillo-Theater

The Grillo -Theater since 1988, the main venue of the acting ensemble in Essen. It is there in the city center and has its origins in 1892 opened theater.

History

The theater building was constructed in neo-baroque style designed by the Berlin architect Heinrich Seeling. It bears the name of the industrialist Friedrich Grillo, which enabled the construction of the theater. So it is one of the oldest theaters in the Ruhr. The opening took place with a performance of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's Minna von Barn-helm on 16 September 1892.

The backdrop House of Grillo Theatre was housed from the start provisionally in a former Catholic, purchased by the city school buildings east behind the theater. The erweisende to be too small tract and the temporary stage for the scenes called for in 1894 and 1896 renovations. Finally, the city of Essen approved in 1907 75,000 Mark to build a new gate house and also to extend the back of the stage and the lighting system. The building yet begun this year had been completed in 1908. 98 years later, in 2006, the Kulissenhaus with the connecting bridge was put to the theater complex historical monument. The provisionally used former school building had already been canceled shortly after 1908.

The theater hosted the three genres of opera, dance and drama, but was too small at the time of industrialization around the turn of the century in 1900 for the rapidly growing city soon. In the 1920s, followed by other theaters, the Folkwang School in 1927 and 1988 when the Aalto Theatre.

Caspar Neher 1927 set designer and designed operas here eight and eleven plays. Received The Green Table by Kurt Jooss in 1932 the first prize at the International Choreography Competition in Paris.

During the Second World War the building and in particular its Wilhelmine façade were largely destroyed. After the heavily modified reconstruction ( in the audience as it were a new building), the theater was reopened in 1950 with a performance of Richard Wagner's opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

Productions of Erwin Piscator, Jean -Louis Barrault and Heinz Dietrich Kenter made ​​for the particular reputation of the theater, in which the longtime music director Gustav King ( he was in Essen from 1943 to 1975 ) with the performance of modern operas put significant emphasis. His successor was 1975-1991 Heinz Wallberg, the 1976-1978 was as musical director of the opera upper Matthias Aeschbacher to the side, which also later worked at the Aalto Theatre in Essen.

From 1961 to 1999 worked in this house Alfons Nowacki as an acting Kapellmeister.

From 1967 to 1981 this house choreographer Boris Pilato ballet director.

From 1985 to 1992 Hans Günther Heyme was Acting Director, through the use of 1988 plans of the city, close to the house because of construction defects, could be averted.

After extensive renovations by architect Werner Ruhnau and a reduction from 670 to 400 seats, a variable space theater was created, which now serves only the Essen show. The reopening took place with a performance of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in September 1990.

North side with a bridge to Kulissenhaus

South View

Grillo Theatre during the 2012 Essen Light Weeks

Kulissenhaus behind the Grillo -Theater

Theater directors, artistic directors and general manager

Important premieres and first (selection)

• Alban Berg: Lulu (1953 )
• Aribert Reimann: fabric remnants (1959 )
• Alexander Solzhenitsyn Republic of Labour (1974 )