Stadttheater Fürth

The Stadttheater Fürth is in the midst of Fürth, between Frauenkirche and Town Hall. It was built in the years 1901 and 1902 according to plans of the Viennese architects Fellner & Helmer offices in neo-Baroque style. The interior follows the style of the Rococo.

The architects were originally with the planning and construction of a theater in Czernowitz (now Ukraine ) commissioned. However, the building was moved there because of financing problems. In the short term, the architects used the plans for the Fürth theater. 1904 to 1905 then the building was made ​​up in Czernowitz. So in the two cities are almost identical theater.

There was in Fürth already since 1816 a permanent theater, an unadorned, neo-classical building, on the today only the street name " street theater " recalls. Around the turn of the century house that no longer met the fire safety regulations and was now also become too small for the strong growth in the municipality. Instead, a representative building to be built and support a call for donations, founded in 1898 Theatre Committee, the realization of the new building project. Within a week, 283 873 Reichsmarks were received in donations of Fürth's population; a sum representing a quarter of the cost of construction of the new building. It is noteworthy that the Jewish citizens of Fürth ( " Franconian Jerusalem " ), with 60 % contributed the lion's share of these donations.

The iconographic program of the Municipal Theatre Fuerth

The around the turn of the century most popular theater architects Fellner and Helmer from Vienna were based on the style of the Italian Renaissance and Baroque architecture, which has been sustained transfers of architectural styles in the architecture of Paris in 1900 ( Petit Palais ). They created rich interior decorations with the goal of a perfect use of space and thus created in just 14 months, a unified work of art. The iconographic program of the theater clearly indicates the characteristics of the music and spoken theater out: Inside the masks in the stairwells of writing samples and musical instruments are surrounded, and also in the foyer can be found in the Putten representations instruments and a kneeling on a pile of books putto. The facades are decorated six representatives from the field of music and drama in the form of portrait medallions or busts over the windows. Only representatives of the German art are selected. With Mozart, Beethoven and Wagner as the epitome of music, Goethe, Schiller and Lessing as a master of language, the theater building has become a monument of the German language and music art. The gable is occupied by a colossal statue, a versatile interpretable female figure with a burning torch, the bringer of light. At her feet, a male figure toppled onto his back and behind her a lion. In this composition is close to a connection to Orpheus, who is said to have enchanted by singing and stringed instruments even wild animals.

"Louder gems of art lift " (1902-1920)

This promise was the director Hans Reck at the end of the festive opening night on September 17, 1902, Beethoven's " Fidelio". With this work, the history of the Fürth Theatre at Hall Place begins: In the 20s and 30s, the theater acquired a reputation as a world premiere stage, especially for operetta performances, which have been partly conducted by composers such as Franz Doelle, Eduard Künneke or Paul Lincke itself. During this time the Fürth stage is a springboard for many artists such as Werner Krauss and Emil Jannings. The then stretching generates 103 RM 800 one years of income that is more than three times the annual income in the old house. Although the theater is municipal property, it shall be forgiven after the lease system. The city receives royalties in return heating and lighting are provided. In addition, the theater is bound to bring grand opera, operetta and drama on the stage.

Dawn of independence (1920-1944)

1920 is the municipal theater finally over in urban management. 1933 ends the existing theater contract between Nuremberg and Fürth; despite the possibility of an extension at a slightly higher grant the Fürth City Theatre wants to go into self-employment; Drama and operetta (300 operetta performances in the first two game years ) staged on their own and allow opera performances by guest performances. Willy Seidl, the musical director of the Nuremberg operetta, is director in Fuerth, after 1939 he Horst Platen and Günter de Resée follow.

Screeching Halt (1944-1952)

In autumn 1944, the theater of life and independence of Fuerth will abruptly end. After 1945, the City Theatre Fuerth was confiscated by the Allies and transformed into a cinema for American soldiers. In this context, the theater community with Nuremberg is revived and the city theater gets the chance to be played on two evenings a week from Nuremberg.

The new beginning (1953-1970)

1952 Fürth theater of the Allies was returned to its original owner. But this new beginning with the chance to regain through a regular Bespielung connection to the world literature and contemporary theater, proved to be a difficult proposition. Increasingly stagnated the general interest in the theater and the visitor and subscriber numbers followed this trend. Another drawback was the need for renovation of the house and therefore it was decided in 1965 to take over the next few years, a restoration in attack to ensure building and fire safety and install missing security systems. The end of 1969 was finally the start of construction. In the next 18 months, the entire house for about 7.7 million DM was renovated, repaired the structural and technical shortcomings and the renovated auditorium glowed in ancient, new shine. The aim was to resolve structural and technical deficiencies and to restore the auditorium to landmark points of view.

Reopening under the direction of force -Alexander (1970-1990)

On August 31, 1970 ended the theater contract between Nuremberg and Fürth. A higher subsidy of Fürth a contract renewal would have been possible, but this time to Fürth decided for their own way. The theater crisis, this time should be overcome by the organizational form of the independent guest operation. After extensive renovation was on 14 January 1973, the city theater with the comedy " Professor Bernardi " by Arthur Schnitzler, a guest performance by the Bavarian State Theatre reopened. The theater has established itself among the theater management of power -Alexander zu Hohenlohe- Oehringen ( director of 1972 to 1990 ) as a separate Fürth venue. Especially international guest performances, such as the Scottish Opera, Edinburgh, the Warsaw National Opera and the National Theatre in Prague contributed to this. During this time the city of Fürth theater was mainly as a meeting with Eastern European music theaters.

The three- stage model (1990 -present)

Since 1990 Werner Müller heads as director of the city theater. He developed the so-called three - step model, which the theater with the performance by operating on co-productions - should lead to regular productions - with free groups and ensembles in most cases.

In the first seasons a concentration of the guest operating on productions of important State and City Theatre took place. Moreover, the Fürth theater was established over the years as a touring venue for international dance companies - such as the Gothenburg Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater or Elisa Monte Dance in New York

In the years following the implementation of the second stage was on the program, the co-productions with other theaters. This first one is based on the collaboration with innovative, regional theaters, such as the CZ Dance Theatre of Jutta Czurda or the Pocket Opera Company Nuremberg. In the children 's and youth theater area, the cooperation partners are the theater and the theater Mummpitz puddle. This was followed by co-productions with theaters such as the Theater an der Ruhr by Roberto Ciulli and the barracks of the Deutsches Theater Berlin.

1994 we went with productions to the implementation of the third stage. In September 1994, with " Biedermann and the Arsonists " directed by Werner Müller 's first own production premiere. Instead of a fixed ensemble the Stadttheater Fürth draws on a base of approximately 60 employees in the artistic field, with which the productions are continuously being expanded, so that now a season about ten to twelve productions can be brought on stage. The productions of all genres regularly use themes Fürth Fürth history and present. On February 1, 1997, the City Theatre Fuerth was included in the German Theatre Association.

For the production with Jutta Czurda " Goods Love or The moon over Soho is " received the Stadttheater Fürth in 1998 the Bavarian Theatre Prize. In 2003, the Stadttheater Fürth celebrated its 100th anniversary, accompanied by the conclusion of a recent extensive refurbishment. Since 2004, the Stadttheater Fürth also recorded the stage of the former slaughterhouse - now Cultural Forum Fürth. 2005 Fürth Theatre Youth Club was established at the City Theatre, who received the award of the city of Fürth and 2011 the Chamber of Commerce Cultural Prize of the Middle Franconian economy in 2010.

2007 Fürth was under the 1000 anniversary of the city for the first time host the 25th Bavarian Theatre Festival. In the same year, a sample stage, fundus and workshops were inaugurated with a total of 1900 m² in the Fürth shore town. The stage corresponds in size and technical equipment of the stage of the big house, so that the Endprobenzeiten can be kept very short.

Approximately 250 performances are realized in the venues of the city theater for well over 100,000 viewers per year. This corresponds to a stable for years average utilization of courses of around 90%.

Proscenium

Proscenium arch