Theater Bonn (also known as the Stadttheater Bonn) is the municipal theatre company of

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

, Germany. It is an organization that produces

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

plays Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

, and

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

s. It operates several performance venues throughout the town: Oper Bonn for music theatre, the and for plays, and the Choreographisches Theater for ballet and dance.

History

Kammerspiele Bonn Bad Godesberg 20100106b

The history of theatre in Bonn dates back to the time of the electors. End of the 17th century, a court theatre was established at the Electoral Palace, where French and Italian troupes played. In the 18th century, an amateur theatre was established for German plays (''Nationaltheater''), directed by Gustav Friedrich Wilhelm Großmann from 1778 to 1784, who staged the premiere of Schiller's ''

Die Verschwörung des Fiesko zu Genua ''Fiesco'' (full title – ''Die Verschwörung des Fiesco zu Genua'', or ''Fiesco's Conspiracy at Genoa'') is the second full-length drama written by the German playwright Friedrich Schiller. It is a republican tragedy based on the historical co ...

'' on 20 July 1783. The new French government destroyed the court theatre in 1797. In 1826, citizens built their own play house. A new building was opened in 1848, marked by Beethoven's overture '' Die Weihe des Hauses'' (The Consecration of the House). The house became the municipal theatre in 1859, with performances by the Cologne theatre. Bonn dates the history of its responsibility for the theatre back to that year. The Bonn theatre operated with its own ensemble for plays from 1902, for opera from 1935. The theatre was destroyed by bombing during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in July 1943. After World War II, temporary venues for theatre were a university hall, a gymnasium, a cinema, and the ''Prachtbau'' of the , completed in 1909. In 1965, a new theatre was opened on the Rhine which serves as today's opera house.

Intendant An intendant (; ; ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In the War of the Spanish Success ...

focused on works by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, continued by his successor (1970–1981). Intendant

Claude Riber Claude may refer to: People and fictional characters * Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Claude (surname), a list of people * Claude Callegari (1962–2021), English Arsenal supporter * Claude Debussy (1862–1918), F ...

invited international singers to perform opera, while plays focused on Austrian contemporary drama, initiated by . Plays are performed in three venues: the , the , and the ''Werkstatt'' (workshop) in the opera house. Venues for experimental theatre and children's theatre are the ''Alter Malersaal'' and the Beuel area. , Generalintendant from 1997 for eleven years, organized from 1992 with the dramatist

Tankred Dorst Tankred Dorst (19 December 1925 – 1 June 2017) was a German playwright and storyteller. Dorst lived and worked in Munich. His farces, parables, one-act-plays and adaptations were inspired by the theatre of the absurd and the works of Ionesco ...

a biennial festival for European contemporary theatre, ''Festival Bonner Biennale – Neue Stücke aus Europa''. From 2013,

Bernhard Helmich Bernhard Helmich (born 13 August 1962) is a German theatre manager. Activities Born in Idar-Oberstein, from 1981 to 1987 Helmich studied musical theatre directing with Götz Friedrich as well as literature and musicology in Cologne and Hamburg; ...

has been Generalintendant. The Theater Bonn collaborates with the festival

Beethovenfest The Beethovenfest ('Beethoven Festival') is a festival of classical music in Bonn, Germany, dedicated mostly to the music of Ludwig van Beethoven who was born there. It dates back to 1845, when the composer's 75th anniversary of birth was celebra ...

Literature

* , Gérard Schneilin (ed.): ''Theaterlexikon 1. Begriffe und Epochen, Bühnen und Ensembles.'' Rowohlts Enzyklopädie im Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1986, 5th edition, 2007, .

References

External links

*
Theater der Bundesstadt Bonn
{{Authority control German opera companies Organisations based in Bonn Theatres in Bonn Theatre companies in Germany