Theater Munster

Exterior view of the Münster Theater

Interior of the big house

The Münster Theater ( formerly: Städtische Bühnen Münster) is a five-part theater in Münster and offers performances by its own ensembles in the fields of music theater ( opera , operetta , musical ), drama, dance theater ( ballet ) and young theater . The symphony concerts of the Münster Symphony Orchestra also take place here . The program is supplemented by productions by the Low German Stage , guest performances, readings, lectures and exhibitions.

architecture

The Municipal Theater was one of the first new theaters of Germany after the Second World War - but before that, for example, New Residence Theater Munich, opened on January 28, 1951. The building was from 1952 to 1956 by the architect Harald Deilmann , Max von Hausen , Ortwin Rave and Werner Ruhnau designed and realized under the direction of Hermann Wedekind . The space-time sculpture by Norbert Kricke from 1955/56 is located directly above the entrance area .

Parts of the rear facade of the Romberger Hof , which formerly stood in the area of the current building, were integrated into the inner courtyard of the new building. The Romberger Hof was a classical aristocratic palace that was built around 1780 by the architect Wilhelm Ferdinand Lipper and was destroyed together with the old theater during the war. A second venue was added to the large house (955 seats) with the small house opened in 1971 with around 280 seats. U2 , a small stage with 52 seats, is also located in the basement of the Kleiner Haus .

history

The inner courtyard of the Münster Theater with a view of the Great House

The theater tradition in Münster was founded in the 18th century by Franz Freiherr von Fürstenberg . In 1774 the minister had the so-called Komödienhaus built in the former slaughterhouse on Roggenmarkt according to plans by the architect Wilhelm Ferdinand Lipper , Münster's first theater building. The people of Münster were now able to enjoy singing games and operas. A prominent actor at this venue was Albert Lortzing , who worked as an actor and singer in Münster between 1826 and 1833.

After the building was demolished in 1890, the Lortzing Theater, which opened a few years later in the former Adelshof of the von Romberg family on Neubrückstrasse, was an elegant theater building. In the converted horse stables of the Romberger Hof , the Lortzing Theater was opened on November 30, 1895 with the Tsar and Zimmermann as a new venue. In 1900 the theater was expanded to include the Westerholtschen Hof , where Beethoven had already given concerts, in the direction of Vossgasse. After the city took over the building, the theater was continued as the Städtisches-Lortzing-Theater from 1906 .

Alfred Bernau headed the theater from 1929 to 1932. In 1930 the city guide stated: “The theaters of the city of Münster see their primary task as being sites of true, refined art, to present classical works and works of modern authors in words and sounds and thus to act as cultural educational factors. In addition to drama and opera, the light muse can and should also come into its own. The modern operetta and the works of the composers around the turn of the century ensure hours of enjoyment, as do occasional rascals and antics. Above everything wafts a spirit of the noblest artistry, the most mature, most zealous creativity in the service of Dalen A dance group also offers variety in the repertoire of the two stages in Münster. "

After the theater was destroyed in the summer of 1941, the foyer of the town hall was initially used as an emergency stage. In March 1950, the decision was made against a true-to-original reconstruction of the lost buildings; a new building was to be built according to plans by the city's building officer Edmund Scharf. Initially it was planned that Münster should receive a new theater in the style of monumental neoclassicism . The city council had already unanimously approved the architect's plans in 1950, but an acute budget crisis prevented these plans from being carried out. After a controversial public discussion, an invitation to tender was issued that ran until October 1952. The foundation stone was laid on May 16, 1954, and on February 4, 1956, as the first new theater to be built after the war, the new house opened. With the Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , the performance began on the following day.

On July 1, 2008, there was a fire in the Great House. A spotlight set up by craftsmen set the curtain on fire. The renovation lasted until October 2008.

At the beginning of February 2012, the renaming of the Munster Municipal Theaters was announced, which has been called the Munster Theater since September 2012 .

The Münster International Jazz Festival has been taking place in the Münster Theater since the mid-1990s .

game schedule

Every season there are around 30 premieres and 600 performances on the program in the big house, the variable little house and in the new U2 venue.

Musical theater

The Musiktheater Münster shows works from the baroque period to the present day. Opera, operettas and musicals are performed by the singing ensemble, the choir and the Münster Symphony Orchestra.

play

The Schauspiel Münster brings the great works of world literature to the stage as well as premieres and premieres by young authors.

dance

The international ensemble of TanzTheaterMünster focuses on contemporary dance. Choreographic interpretations of literary sources are on the program as well as abstract dance evenings, guest choreographies, own piece developments and music theater.

Young theater

The Junge Theater Münster plays fairy tales and myths as well as contemporary adaptations of classics, piece developments, world premieres and pieces by young authors who deal with the world of young audiences. There are also opportunities to play along as well as introductions, workshops and visits to rehearsals.

Concerts

With around 80 concerts per year, the Münster Symphony Orchestra presents symphonic works, chamber concerts, children's, choir and cinema concerts as well as open-air events. We cooperate with soloists as well as with befriended orchestras, which enables the performance of complex works with a large cast.

General manager

Alfred Bernau (1929–1932)
Erich Pabst (1938–1944)
Hermann Wedekind (1951–1954)
Bruno von Niessen (1955–1957)
Leon Epp (1957-1960)
Alfred Erich Sistig (1960–1968)
Horst Gnekow (1968–1973)
Frieder Lorenz (1973–1983)
Karl Wesseler (1983-1989)
Achim Thorwald (1989–1996)
Thomas Bockelmann (1996-2004)
Wolfgang Quetes (2004–2012)
Ulrich Peters (since 2012)

General Music Directors

Robert Wagner (1951–1961)
Reinhard Peters (1961–1970)
Alfred Walter (1970–1985)
Lutz Herbig (1985–1992)
Will Humburg (1992-2004)
Rainer Mühlbach (2004-2007)
Fabrizio Ventura (2007-2017)
Golo Berg (from 2017)

Supporting program

The foyer of the Münster Theater with a view of the ruins in the inner courtyard

Lecture series scholars in the theater

The series of lectures Scholars in the Theater has been taking place at the Münster Theater since 2004 . The lecture series was founded in cooperation with the Westphalian Wilhelms University of Münster . The Stadtmuseum Münster has been co-organizing the series since 2007 . The initiator, organizer and moderator of the series of events is the dramaturge and press spokesman of the theater Wolfgang Türk. Every year, the series of scholars in the theater, with the participation of well-known scholars, is devoted to questions of intellectual and cultural history over a three-month event period.

Theater talks

The theater talk series was founded in 2009. In the theater talks, scientists give lectures on a literary, art-historical or cultural-historical topic. Actors from the theater's ensemble read or recite selected letters, diary notes, passages from literary works, reviews, eyewitness accounts, etc., so that the audience experiences a dialogue between science and art, theory and practice. The series is moderated and organized by its founder Wolfgang Türk.

Previous topics were: 2009 : Anna, Effi, Nora and the others - literary female figures of the 19th century; 2010 : The philistine - A literary anatomy of mediocrity; 2010 : Eros and Power - The femme fatale in the literature of the turn of the century; 2010/11 : women around Goethe; 2011 : The Diva; 2011/12 : Heinrich von Kleist; 2012 : The Dandy; 2012/13 : Gerhart Hauptmann; 2013/14 : Georg Büchner; 2014/15 : Frank Wedekind.

literature

Cultural policy

Volker Resing : The new theater building in Münster. Cultural-political conflicts 1949–1956 (= Small Writings from the Münster City Archives . Volume 3). Regensberg, Münster 1999, ISBN 3-7923-0733-2 .

architecture

Anton Henze : The city theaters in Münster and Gelsenkirchen. In: The Architect. BDA, 1955, IV, pp. 135-137.
Anton Henze : Comprehensive project description. In: DBZ. 1956, No. 7, pp. 777-788.
The new city theater in Münster. In: Bauwelt. 1956, No. 47, pp. 771-775.
Stefan Rethfeld: A New Beginning Manifesto - Stadttheater Münster (1952–1956) by Harald Deilmann, Max von Hausen, Ortwin Rave and Werner Ruhnau. In: Sonja Hnilica, Markus Jager, Wolfgang Sonne (ed.): At second glance. Post-war architecture in North Rhine-Westphalia. Bielefeld 2010, pp. 133-139.
Claudia Blümle, Jan Lazardzig: Public in ruins. On the relationship between theater, architecture and art in the 1950s. In: Claudia Blümle, Jan Lazardzig (ed.): Ruined public. On the politics of theater, architecture and art in the 1950s. Zurich 2012, pp. 9–37 ( digitized version ).
Stefan Rethfeld: Courage to set out - 60 years of Theater Münster , Baunetz announcement, February 4, 2016

music

Gernot Wojnarowicz (ed.): Musical confessions. Documents and reflections on a series of concerts and operas by the symphony orchestra and the Münster city theaters. On behalf of the Symphony Orchestra of the City of Münster-General Music Director Will Humburg. Aschendorffsche Verlagbuchhandlung, Münster 1995, ISBN 3-402-03942-7 .
Klaus Hortschansky , Berthold Warnecke (ed.): The Ring of the Nibelung in Münster - the cycle from 1999 to 2001. Agenda, Münster 2001, ISBN 3-89688-102-7 .
Uwe Schweikert, Berthold Warnecke (eds.): Music and Scene Münster 1992–2004. Music theater - scenic concerts - symphony concerts. On behalf of the Symphony Orchestra of the City of Münster. Agenda, Münster 2004, ISBN 3-89688-223-6 (On Will Humburg's music theater era).
Antal Dorati: Notes of Seven Decades. Hodder & Stoughton, London 1979. Musical memories of the conductor. His time as second conductor at the Muenster Städtische Bühnen is described in the eleventh chapter.
Richard Chlupaty: Antal Dorati and the Joy of Making Music. The Antal Dorati Centenary Society, Bournemouth, 2006. With a register of opera performances in Muenster 1929–1932.

Photo gallery

The photos below were taken on the Open Monument Day in 2005.

Ruins of the old music school, which was integrated in the courtyard of the municipal theaters
Ruins of the old music school and sculpture
Entrance area
View into the auditorium from the stage