Chameleon (vaudeville)

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Entrance area to the chameleon and a cinema, 2004

The Chameleon Theater (proper spelling in capital letters : CHAMELEON ) is a theater in the Hackescher Markt in Berlin district of Mitte . Contemporary circus productions have been presented in the privately run venue since it reopened in 2004 .

The Berliner Morgenpost regards the program concept as "unique in the German theater and variety scene", says Christoph Stölzl .

location

Orientation plan

The chameleon is one of the cultural institutions in the Hackesche Höfe in Berlin-Mitte .

The entrance to the chameleon is in “Hof I” on Rosenthaler Straße . The theater uses the former, single-storey ballroom on the first floor of the transverse building.

history

When the Hackesche Höfe were built in 1906, several cultural institutions were housed in the buildings on the first courtyard ; an unusual concept at the time. Among other things, the transverse building between the first and second courtyards was created as a ballroom wing. The design of the colorful glazed facades of the first courtyard as well as the design of the Neumann ballrooms with all their furnishings in the transverse building between the first and second courtyards was carried out according to the plans of the Berlin architect and designer August Endell.

The ballrooms were managed by the wine merchant and innkeeper Wilhelm Neumann and belonged to his wine bar and restaurant . In the beginning, family and club celebrations as well as company anniversaries were often held in the Neumann ballrooms . In the 1920s, the use of the entire facility changed, many companies left the courtyards and cultural and public activities soon subsided completely. Among other things, the elaborate design of the large, two-storey ballroom was destroyed around 1930, and the hall was used as a company canteen by the DeFaKa (German family department store) department store group until the end of the Second World War .

Except for one bomb hit on the roof of the first courtyard, the Hackesche Höfe survived the Second World War almost unscathed. In 1952, they were located in what was then East Berlin and thus belonged to the GDR , and they were declared public property. In the following years, the building fabric was neglected, so that in 1961 the brittle stucco facade had to be removed. During the GDR era, the Hackesche Höfe no longer played a role as a place for celebrations and events. The former ballrooms were instead used as storage areas and workshops. In 1977 the entire building complex was placed under monument protection. At that time the hall of today's chameleon was used as a rehearsal room for the GDR dance ensemble.

The facade of the transverse building in the 1st courtyard (west side), designed by August Endell , with the chameleon on the 1st floor (2005)

In 1991 the Chameleon variety theater was opened for the first time in the historic, single-storey ballroom in the transverse building, after extensive renovation and renovation work that lasted until 1997 for the entire Hackesche Höfe complex. Among the co-founders of the Chamäleon was the clown Harald "Hacki" Ginda, who also performed himself and took over the artistic direction as a co-partner of Chamäleon Varieté GmbH . The variety and cabaret program was well received by the audience. During this time, the chameleon was considered the most innovative cabaret in Berlin.

The chameleon variety GmbH continued to expand and opened in early 2000 a second venue in the Berlin district of Gesundbrunnen , in a courtyard at the Prince Avenue in a former ballroom of the 1900s, under the name "glass box" was known. The former “Glaskasten” hall, which had been vacant since 1980 after the end of the dance and entertainment events and various temporary uses , most recently as a disco , had previously been extensively renovated and converted. In this second venue, the chameleon had a 160 m² large hall with space for 100 spectators, which was also directly connected to a restaurant in the front building.

Due to fluctuations in the number of visitors and the rental charges for the second venue in Wedding, which was not accepted by the public, the Chameleon ran into financial difficulties in 2003. However, a first bankruptcy application could be withdrawn after financial assistance from supporters and sponsors. In the spring of 2004, the Chameleon finally went into bankruptcy proceedings and - after 13 years of operation - had to close at the end of June 2004.

A change of operator quickly followed and the Chamäleon was taken over by the Chamäleon Theater GmbH under the management of Volker Brümmer, who carried out an extensive renovation of the historical hall, the installation of a ventilation system and the renewal of the entire technology and the bar area in 2004/2005 . Among other things, missing elements in the hall were added in coordination with the State Monuments Office and the color version was restored according to the original findings.

In September 2004, the variety theater was reopened by the successor operator, Chamäleon Theater GmbH . In 2007 Volker Brümmer founded the subsidiary Circle of Eleven to produce new shows for the theater and his own creations such as SOAP - The Show! or to market LEO worldwide. Since 2012, managing director Hendrik Frobel has been responsible for the management of the house, while Anke Politz, as managing director of Chamäleon Productions GmbH, is the artistic director.

The theater

Today's chameleon has a 360 m² hall in the historical Art Nouveau atmosphere, which, when furnished with bistro tables with 4–5 chairs per table, offers around 320 seats.

The chameleon has its own catering supply. The chameleon also cooperates with the “Hackescher Hof” restaurant .

The event technology of the theater, such as lighting and sound systems , as well as the stage technology were completely renewed in 2004-2005, with the stage being equipped with a variable stage system with lifting and rotating devices.

program

According to its own statement, the chameleon presents “innovative entertainment formats” with artists from all over the world and internationally known directors . It claims to " exceed the limits of classical variety and [to] use new, cross-genre forms of expression".

In addition to international third-party productions, such as by the Canadian artist company Les 7 doigts de la main (“The 7 fingers”), the Australian company Circa or the company Flip FabriQue from Canada , shows by the Berlin production company Circle of Eleven were also shown. Pieces are produced "that go on tour and can be 'played' all over the world by different artists, regardless of language."

The duration of the programs varies, but averages around 6–8 months.

literature

  • Tiziana Romelli: A walk through the Hackesche Höfe. Ethnographic exploration of an urban place . Lit Verlag, Hamburg 2002 (= Berlin ethnographic studies; vol. 1), ISBN 3-8258-5266-0 , pp. 23, 35, 64.
  • Klaus Siebenhaar (Ed.): Culture Handbook Berlin. Past & Present from A-Z . 3rd, exp. and updated edition, Institute for Culture and Media Management of the FU Berlin , Verlag Bostelmann & Siebenhaar, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-936962-12-X , pp. 55, 102-103.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Christoph Stölzl : A visit to the “Chamäleon” variety theater: A show for the mouse click generation . In: Berliner Morgenpost , June 20, 2009.
  2. ↑ a b c d Uwe Aulich: It's all about the mix. The Hackesche Höfe are 100 years old . In: Berliner Zeitung , September 22, 2006.
  3. ↑ Rainer L. Hein: In the beginning there were gray walls . In: Die Welt , September 23, 2006.
  4. ↑ a b The Chamäleon Varieté is broke and is closing . In: Berliner Morgenpost , June 26, 2004
  5. ^ Skinning the chameleon. In: welt.de , February 25, 2007, accessed on July 12, 2014
  6. ↑ Revived glass case. Varieté "Chamäleon" moves into a new venue in Berlin . At: baunetz.de , February 3, 2000 (accessed October 12, 2009).
  7. ↑ Berlin: Chamäleon Varieté rescued - One year ahead planning . ddp press release in nmz from August 15, 2003, accessed on October 12, 2009.
  8. ↑ The Rubik's Cube is done on the side. In: berliner-zeitung.de , August 9, 2013, accessed on July 12, 2014

Coordinates: 52 ° 31 '26.4 "  N , 13 ° 24' 8.6"  E