Theater am Goetheplatz

The theater at the Goethe Square (often incorrectly called Goethe Theatre) is the largest venue of the theater Bremen. It is aligned to the North right at the Goethe Square at the western exit of the Ostertorsteinwegs and at the eastern end of the ramparts. The building is a historical monument since 2005.

Development

The theater was first opened A Woman of No Importance as a playhouse on August 15, 1913 with a performance of Oscar Wilde. After the destruction of the Second World War was a reconstruction, and on August 27, 1950 was the 1111 seat theater on Arminius how christened it first begin operation. At the celebration appeared among others, the mayor Theodor Spitta, the Arts and Sciences Senator Paul Christian man and the poet Rudolf Alexander Schröder. The first performance Willi Hanke Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Egmont staged.

After the construction of the new playhouse access behind the eastern administrative building was created later, the box office was moved. The theater at the Goethe Platz offers up to 868 spectators today. The main venue of the Bremen Opera, it has over 794 regular seats ( 466 in the stalls, 124 in the first rank, 180 in second place and 24 on the page ranks ). The capacity can be increased by inclusion of the floor upstream 74 orchestra seats to 868. In addition to musical theater and drama pieces, including every year the traditional Christmas story, as well as individual dance theater productions are staged on the stage.

Architectural History

The building was built in 1912-1913 according to the plans of architect August Abbehusen and Otto Blendermann. It replaced the Theater am Neustadtswall where now stands the modern. Immediately there were first reflecting on a reconstruction of the theater. Since the State Theatre had been completely destroyed in the ramparts by the air strikes, the Schauspielhaus but the foundation walls and the facade columns were obtained, it was decided to reactivate the latter. The construction administration of the city charged with the draft implementing a native of Bremen architects and building officer retired Hans Storm and the architect Werner Commichau. This designed in collaboration with the Berlin theater architects Walther Unruh plans for a full theater. Responsible for the interior design was H. Warkus.

The designs for the new house were approved on 24 June 1948 by the Bremen Parliament, which provided the financial resources for reconstruction. In the months that followed, the new building has grown steadily. As a construction manager were responsible during this time Wilhelm measure and as a hearing Rudolf Kraege. In many parts of the new house resembled architecturally considered its predecessor. The most obvious exterior changes were the removal of the pediment reliefs as well as the construction of a flat roof, the gable above the now looming, and a simplification of the column capitals. Through these measures, the building looks more severe. They installed a revolving stage and set the whole stage further back - for reasons of better integration of musical theater to create more space for the orchestra pit and to increase the spectator capacity.

They had decided to carry out two successive time-delayed construction stages. The first was completed with the construction of the building and included the expansion of the entire auditorium and the main stage. The second provided for the supplement to the main stage to a side and a back stage as well as an extensive enlargement of all belonging to the operating rooms for staff and technology. This second phase began in June 1955. Hydraulic proscenium above the orchestra pit was redesigned and built pilasters on either side, who recovered a new integrated headlight system. By thus improved lighting also for large proscenium theater productions could be used. In addition, we installed a new curtain between the auditorium and the proscenium, which guaranteed that there could take place during the show breaks changes of the stage. Parallel to Ostertorsteinweg and east to the main house then also created a new section of the building. If this initial plans house after the offices of theater management, they taught after the opening, among others, rehearsal rooms, magazines and workshops. Commuting to the theater ruins in the ramparts was superfluous This centralization, in which some sample areas had been maintained previously yet.

In the summer of 1959, before the start of the season 1959/1960, we began with the completion of the second phase. The east wing was completed and in it, a 500 -square-foot backdrop Magazine, the locksmith, the furniture magazine, technical director, the stage design, the costume department, the tailoring, the Schumacher and decorator shop, the carpentry, the painting room and a 50 sqm big solo sample chamber located. In addition, we improved the stage equipment. Thus, the stage manager received an acoustic-electric call system to the locker rooms of the artist and beside the prompter's box they built a camera that filmed the conductor so that it was visible on a screen for the choir. Another change was the increase in the backstage to 22 meters wide and ten meters depth and the installation of an oil heater for the house, which took 50,000 liters in two tanks. The construction work was completed in the summer of 1960.

A first reconstruction of the theater for about two million mark was in the season 1973/1974, the first under Peter Stoltzenberg. In the audience the old domed ceiling was replaced with a new ceiling with better acoustics and the walls received a new wood paneling.

In the season 1989/1990 the venue underwent a far-reaching, 30 million marks redevelopment project, after the general manager had already stated, the building complex was "like an old car ", which need a lot of fuel and a lot of repairs. The construction work, during which the division opera was outsourced to outdoor play facilities, attracted over a period of over one year back. Among others, the main stage was enlarged, equipped with modern technology and lowered, which could be the orchestra pit and the right side of the stage more scope. Furthermore, we removed the revolving stage, built a new upper machinery one with 58 trains and erected east of the main house and a connection to the new playhouse built a new wing for workshops, among other houses the Malersaal, the locksmith and carpentry.

Twelve years later, a new comprehensive renovation of the theater at the Goethe space was required. The one and a half years of renovations forced the leaders to leave the division dodge music theater again to other platforms. Thus, several productions have been performed in the then unsuccessful Musical Theater Bremen. The cost of construction totaled 16.5 million marks, of which the city of Bremen and the Foundation " Homely town " per 7.5 million Mark took over. The remaining 1.5 million marks were contributed in the form of donations and sponsorship. The theater at the Goethe Square was reopened with a " theater magic " in which participated all lines.

As of January 2009, the contracts were awarded for a renovation of the upper and lower machinery of the venue. The central control system consisted of various legacy systems and should be unified. For reasons of financing the construction works have been divided into three sections.

Theatre Galerie Bremen

The Theatre Galerie Bremen presented from the season 2007 / '08 to 2011 / '12 in the foyer spaces of the theater at the Goethe Platz contemporary art. The works by internationally renowned artists such as Ai Weiwei, Candida Höfer and Armin Mueller-Stahl were shown there. The project was initiated by Hans -Joachim Frey, General Director of the Theater Bremen and the art and culture scholar Annette Schneider. Under the five-member directors directorate for the seasons 2010 / '11 and 2011 / '12, the concept was continued while the theater Galerie Bremen was concluded with the director change to 2012 / '13. In 2008, the concept was developed by the Initiative Germany - Land of Ideas selected as " Landmark in the Land of Ideas".