Volksbühne

The Volksbühne Berlin (today Volksbühne am Rosa- Luxembourg -Platz) was created in 1890 during an inaugural meeting of the " Freie Volksbühne ". From their split in 1892 temporarily the Neue Freie Volksbühne from that received by the strong growth from 1902 enough funds to build its own building.

Today's theater is located at Rosa- Luxembourg -Platz in the district center. While it was before the First World War as the common house (later reunited ) " Freie Volksbühne " and the " Neue Freie Volksbühne " built, had as such but only until May 17, 1933 inventory. From 1947 the house was set up as a " Volksbühne " under the sovereignty of the fdgb. After the fall of the Wall it took over Frank Castorf.

History

Through donations from members, so-called "workers ' penny ', considerable sums were expended in order to begin construction of a theater. From 1913 to 1914, was built by the architect Oskar Kaufmann at the former Bülowplatz. The first theater in Berlin, it presented itself in the style of modernism and was designed for about 2000 people.

The second director of the Volksbühne am Bülowplatz who called Rosa - Luxembourg -Platz today, was from 1915 to 1918 Max Reinhardt. His second successor Fritz Holl hired the theater reformer Erwin Piscator, who was with his work as the head director of the Volksbühne 1924 to 1927 the founder of political theater. So put Piscator satire evenings, speaking choral works and political revues on behalf of the Communist Party in the scene where he first tested the use of cinematic means.

In the Nazi period, two gaming facilities, the Theater am Horst Wessel Square and the Theater in der Saarlandstraße under the name Volksbühne were summarized.

After severe war damage and a temporary use of the space in front of the building as a place for the Berlin rubble path of reconstruction of the house began. For this purpose, a competition was organized in 1948, after initially modern forms were used, as they document the lateral extensions. The formative reconstruction from 1952 to 1954 after a design by Hans Richter had " to build [ ... ] with substantial use of the old wall stock a new theater. " The goal of the restoration of the perimeter walls with monumental arched main front with six limestone columns renounced the visual artistic Jewelry by Franz Metzner, but retained the outward form. Instead of the copper hood and roof of the main cylinder flat roofs were built, so the stage area was a straight final. By straightening the elegantly swinging lines of the roofscape of the buildings received a bulkier urban spatial effect.

From 1974 to 1977 Benno Besson coined as Artistic Director Oberleiter and the appearance of the Volksbühne. 1989 active actors and students of the Volksbühne involved in the mass protests in East Germany that led to the peaceful revolution and the fall of the Wall.

Directorship Castorf

Under the nineteenth manager Frank Castorf the theater made ​​since 1992 repeatedly hit the headlines. Besides Castorf here developed directors such as Christoph Marthaler, Christoph Schlingensief, Dimiter Gotscheff and René Pollesch some of their productions. The ensemble is famous for its actors like Henry Hübchen, Ralf Dittrich, Sophie Rois, Corinna Harfouch, Birgit Minichmayr, Kathrin Angerer, Bernhard Schütz, Herbert Fritsch, Martin Wuttke, Alexander Scheer, Ursula Karusseit and Klaus Mertens, most of which the stage however, have now left again.

Since 1992, the Volksbühne uses another venue in the traditional Altberliner Prater in the chestnut avenue in Prenzlauer Berg. This opens the theater of the performance scene and are in addition to René Pollesch groups like Gob Squad, Forced Entertainment, She She Pop and SIGNA the opportunity to show their work. In addition, since 1993 there is the youth theater Volksbühne P14.

2000 terminus America was nominated as the best German -language performance and the best equipment for the Nestroy Theatre Prize. 2003 could Bert Neumann and Jan Speckenbach win for Forever Young Nestroy Theatre Prize for the best equipment. 2006 Katrin Brack received the Fist Theatre Award for the stage only theater fog in the staging of Dimiter Ivanov Gotscheff.

From March to October 2009, the house was renovated and was closed. Apart from the exchange of more than fifty years old stage equipment, the auditorium, administrative offices and the fire was renewed. The group used during the construction phase instead the Prater in Prenzlauer Berg. From May to August 2009, there were also open-air stages demonstrations at the forecourt of the Volksbühne in a makeshift amphitheater. On 11 November 2009 the Big House the Volksbühne was finally reopened.

2009 subsidized the State of Berlin each card Volksbühne an average of 184 euros; in the following year received the Volksbühne with 141 euros per card still the highest subsidies among the intercom theaters.

Directors

Friedrich Kayssler (1898 ), Director 1918-1923

Karl Heinz Martin ( 1945), Director 1929-1932

Bernhard Solms (1925 ), Director 1934-1936

Eugen Klopfer (1927 ), Director 1936-1944

Fritz Wisten (1946 ), Director 1953-1961

Wolfgang Heinz (1959 ), Director 1961-1963

Benno Besson (1983 ), Director 1974-1978

Marion van de Kamp (1989 ), Co- Artistic Director 1990/91