Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus

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Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus
Front view
location
Address: Gustaf-Gründgens-Platz 1
City: Dusseldorf
Coordinates: 51 ° 13 '41.4 "  N , 6 ° 47' 0.5"  E Coordinates: 51 ° 13 '41.4 "  N , 6 ° 47' 0.5"  E
Architecture and history
Construction time: 1965-1969
Opened: Jan. 16, 1970
Architect: Bernhard Pfau
Internet presence:
Website: dhaus.de
Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus at night

The Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus , or D'haus for short , is an ensemble theater in the North Rhine-Westphalian capital of Düsseldorf . The theater building on Gustaf-Gründgens-Platz was built according to plans by the Düsseldorf architect Bernhard Pfau as a speaking theater commissioned by the city of Düsseldorf between 1965 and 1969. The large sculptural form stands in exciting contrast to the neighboring Dreischeibenhaus and is therefore characterized by a special urban quality. The construction, which in the post-war Modern the organic architecture can be allocated to hosts with the big house and the small house two venues of high acoustic and technical level. The Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf is the only state theater in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia .

Due to an extensive renovation, the theater building has been closed since 2016. A reopening was planned for summer 2020.

ensemble

The Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus has a repertoire system , which means that a number of actors remain permanently part of the in-house ensemble and several pieces can be kept in the repertoire over a long period of time .

The acting ensemble including permanent guests at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus currently consists of Manuela Alphons , Cathleen Baumann, Sonja Beißwenger , Tabea Bettin, Judith Bohle, Markus Danzeisen, Rosa Enskat , Christian Erdmann , Henning Flüsloh, Christian Friedel , Moritz Führmann , Andreas Grothgar, Jonathan Gyles, Paul Jumin Hoffmann, Lieke Hoppe, Claudia Hübbecker, André Kaczmarczyk , Serkan Kaya , Torben Kessler, Burghart Klaußner , Kilian Land, Florian Lange , Jonas Friedrich Leonhardi , Alexej Lochmann, Jan Maak, Rainer Philippi, Bernhard Schmidt- Hackenberg, Thiemo Schwarz, Michaela Steiger , Lou Strenger, students of the Mozarteum Thomas Bernhard Institute ( Salzburg ), Sebastian Tessenow , Cennet Rüya Voß, Hanna Werth, Thomas Wittmann and Minna Wündrich.

Guest actors are Miguel Abrantes Ostrowski , Manuela Alphons , Felix Banholzer, Anna Beetz, Sonja Beißwenger , Heikko Deutschmann , Julia Dillmann, Rosa Enskat , Emanuel Fellmer , Reinhart Firchow , Anya Fischer, Christian Friedel , Daniel Fries, Denis Geyersbach, Sven Gey , Esther Hausmann , Nicole Heesters , Wolf Danny Homann , Ben Daniel Jöhnk, Burghart Klaußner , Johanna Kolberg, Orlando Lenzen , Matthias Luckey , Hans Petter Melø Dahl, Lorenz Nufer, Caroline Peters , Anna Platen, Viola Pobitschka , Wolfgang Reinbacher, Jonathan Schimmer, Tanja Schleiff , Jana Schulz , Yohanna Schwertfeger , Alexander Steindorf, Moritz von Treuenfels , Lutz Wessel and André Willmund .

The directors are currently Kristo Šagor , andcompany & Co. , Sebastian Baumgarten , Gregory Caers, Liesbeth Coltof, Jan Friedrich, Jan Gehler , Robert Gerloff, Martin Grünheit, Suna Gürler , Matthias Hartmann , Helgard Haug, Peter Jordan , Stefan Kaegi, Alexander Karschnia, Lothar Kittstein , Tilmann Köhler , Leonhard Koppelmann , Andreas Kriegenburg , Bianca Künzel, Malte C. Lachmann , Robert Lehniger, Daniela Löffner , Bernhard Mikeska, Nicola Nord, Frank Panhans, Armin Petras , projekt.il, Rimini Protokoll , Mina Salehpour, Kurt Josef Schildknecht , Christof Seeger-Zurmühlen, Simon Solberg , Bernadette Sonnenbichler , Lore Stefanek , Sascha Sulimma, Evgeny Titov, Miriam Tscholl, Roger Vontobel , Daniel Wetzel, Robert Wilson and Sönke Wortmann .

Other ensemble members, including stage and make-up artists, musicians and composers as well as other employees behind the scenes and in PR, are listed on the theater's homepage.

Season 2018/2019

The following pieces were shown from September 2018:
piece Authors Directors Remarks
1984 Armin Petras , based on George Orwell 's novel of the same name ; Music: Woods of Birnam Armin Petras Coproduction with the Schauspiel Stuttgart
Prom Lutz Huebner & Sarah Nemitz Robert Lehniger premiere
On a school trip or the big jump Thilo Reffert Frank Panhans German premiere ; Young acting, recommended for ages 6+
Pictures of your great love Robert Koall , based on Wolfgang Herrndorf 's novel of the same name Jan Gehler premiere
A view from the bridge Arthur Miller Armin Petras premiere
Boys don't cry and girls just want to have fun Recital by the ensemble under the direction of André Kaczmarczyk
Caligula Albert Camus ; Music: Stefan Schneider Sebastian Baumgarten
Germany. A winter fairy tale: a transcultural road trip through the new home based on Heinrich Heine 's drama of the same name projectile Premiere ; Citizens' stage
Don Karlos Friedrich Schiller Alexander Eisenach premiere
The Threepenny Opera Bertolt Brecht ; Music: Kurt Weill Andreas Kriegenburg
Eve and Adam: Facts About Women and Men and Everything in Between Christoph Seeger-Zurmühlen Premiere ; Citizens' stage
Fabian or The Walk to the Dogs based on Erich Kästner 's novel Fabian or its reconstruction The Walk to the Dogs Bernadette Sonnenbichler
Fist (to go) Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Robert Lehniger
Fanny and Alexander Ingmar Bergman Stefan Kimmig premiere
Fight Club Chuck Palahniuk , based on his novel of the same name Roger Vontobel premiere
The good man from Sezuan Bertolt Brecht Bernadette Sonnenbichler premiere
Hamlet William Shakespeare ; Music: Woods of Birnam Roger Vontobel premiere
Heart of gold Recital conducted by André Kaczmarczyk
Witch hunt Arthur Miller Evgeny Titov
Dog heart Mikhail Bulgakov Evgeny Titov premiere
The idiot Fyodor M. Dostoyevsky Matthias Hartmann Coproduction with the Dresden State Theater
Youth without God Kristo Šagor , based on Ödön von Horváth 's novel of the same name Kristo Šagor Premiere ; Young drama, recommended for ages 13 and up
The merchant of Venice William Shakespeare Roger Vontobel
last feast. pale man Thomas Freyer Tilmann Koehler premiere
Like me Franziska Henschel, Veit Sprenger and ensemble Franziska Henschel Premiere ; Young drama, recommended for ages 10 and up
Mary Magdalene Friedrich Hebbel Klaus Schumacher premiere
People in the hotel Stephan Kaluza , based on Vicki Baum 's novel of the same name Sönke Wortmann premiere
Momentum Lot Vekemans Roger Vontobel premiere
Mr. Nobody Jaco Van Dormael Jan Gehler Premiere ; Young drama, recommended for ages 15 and up
No President. An enlightening narrative ballet in two immoral acts Nature Theater of Oklahoma Premiere ; Coproduction with the Ruhrtriennale; in English and German
Peer Gynt : Dusseldorf youngsters pile up and put everything on one card after Henrik Ibsen Felix Krakow Premiere; Citizens' stage
Perfect Family: A Happiness Research of People with Disabilities Hannah Biedermann Premiere ; Citizens' stage
Says the whale to the tuna Carsten Brandau Juliane Can Premiere ; Young acting, recommended for ages 3+
The Sandman ETA Hoffmann , music and lyrics by Anna Calvi Robert Wilson (also stage and lighting concept) Coproduction with the Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen and Unlimited Performing Arts
The lock Franz Kafka Jan Philipp Gloger premiere
Schwejk Peter Jordan , based on Jaroslav Hašek's novel The good soldier Schwejk Peter Jordan & Leonhard Koppelmann premiere
The promise Friedrich Dürrenmatt Tilmann Koehler
We are then probably the relatives: the story of a kidnapping Johann Scheerer
Wonkel Anja - The Show! Barbara Bürk & Clemens Sienknecht, after Anton Chekhov's uncle Vanja Barbara Bürk & Clemens Sienknecht premiere
The broken jug Heinrich von Kleist Laura Linnenbaum premiere

Previous fixtures

Playtime piece Authors Directors Remarks
2017/2018 1984 Armin Petras , based on George Orwell 's novel of the same name ; Music: Woods of Birnam Armin Petras Premiere ; Coproduction with the Schauspiel Stuttgart
Adam's world Gregory Caers Gregory Caers Young acting
Auerhaus Bov Bjerg , theater version by Robert Koall Robert Gerloff
Café Casablanca: Everybody Comes To Stay! andcompany & Co. Citizens' stage / young drama
Caligula Albert Camus ; Music: Stefan Schneider Sebastian Baumgarten premiere
The Threepenny Opera Bertolt Brecht ; Music: Kurt Weill Andreas Kriegenburg
Fabian or The Walk to the Dogs based on Erich Kästner 's novel Fabian or its reconstruction The Walk to the Dogs Bernadette Sonnenbichler
Fist (to go) Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Robert Lehniger
Heart of gold Recital conducted by André Kaczmarczyk
Heisenberg Simon Stephens Lore Stefanek
Mr. Puntila and his servant Matti Bertolt Brecht , music by Paul Dessau Jan Gehler
Witch hunt Arthur Miller Evgeny Titov
The idiot Fyodor M. Dostoyevsky Matthias Hartmann Coproduction with the Dresden State Theater
In 80 days around the world based on Jules Verne 's novel of the same name Leonhard Koppelmann & Peter Jordan
Joseph and his brothers Thomas Mann scenic-musical reading
The merchant of Venice William Shakespeare Roger Vontobel
Klaus Barbie - Encounter with Evil Leonhard Koppelmann Leonhard Koppelmann
Medea Euripides Roger Vontobel
Michael Kohlhaas Heinrich von Kleist Matthias Hartmann
Mr. Handicap Thilo Reffert Frank Panhans Young acting
Native Glenn Waldron, translation by Michael Raab Jan Friedrich Young acting
Odyssey based on Homer's epic Gregory Caers Rock spectacle, coproduction with Nevski Prospekt Gent and BRONKS Theater Brussels, young drama
Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare Bernadette Sonnenbichler
The Sandman ETA Hoffmann , music and lyrics by Anna Calvi Robert Wilson (also stage and lighting concept) Coproduction with the Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen and Unlimited Performing Arts
terror Ferdinand von Schirach Kurt Josef Schildknecht
Under kindergarten Eirik Fauske Jan Friedrich Young acting
submission based on Michel Houellebecq 's novel of the same name Malte C. Lachmann
Lost songs Christof Seeger-Zurmühlen, musical director: Bojan Vuletić Citizens' stage
The promise Friedrich Dürrenmatt Tilmann Koehler
Welcome أهلا وسهلا Lutz Huebner & Sarah Nemitz Sönke Wortmann

history

Theater am Marktplatz (1871)

The history of the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus can be traced back to the end of the 18th century. In 1747 the former Grupello casting house was converted into a theater on behalf of the Düsseldorf Elector Karl Theodor . In 1818 the city of Düsseldorf received the electoral theater building on the market square , also known as the Grupellotheater, as a gift from Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia . In the years 1873 to 1875 , the first city ​​theater was built in the Hofgarten, the location of today's opera .

Dumont and Lindemann's playhouse

The old Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus on Kasernenstrasse (1905)
View of the theater from the gate of the Great Synagogue (around 1920)

The couple Louise Dumont and Gustav Lindemann founded the Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf on June 16, 1904 as a private theater. In Düsseldorf, which was growing rapidly at the time, the planned theater building could be implemented quickly. The new theater designed by Bernhard Sehring was inaugurated on October 28, 1905 with the performance of Hebbel's "Judith". The avant-garde theater, jointly managed by both, became known as a reform stage. In 1924 Louise Dumont attached a theater academy, the 'Hochschule für Bühnenkunst', to the theater. Gustaf Gründgens emerged from this theater academy as the most famous student.

Düsseldorf stage artist, recorded at the premiere of Goethe's play The Triumph of Sensibility in 1907

The play had an impact beyond the region and set standards: authors were recruited as dramaturges , starting with Paul Ernst , followed by Wilhelm Schmidtbonn and Herbert Eulenberg , and later Hans Franck , Herbert Kranz and Ludwig Strauss . With "Masken" a theater magazine that appears twice a month was published. Matinees called "morning celebrations" were held on Sundays. For example, Hermann Hesse gave a reading on February 28, 1909.

August Macke, who was studying in Düsseldorf, worked for a time at the theater . He designed costumes and decorations. Leon Askin , Paul Henckels , Hermine Körner , Wolfgang Langhoff , Peter Paul , Friedrich Schütze and Adolf Ziegler were active in acting.

In 1932 the actress and co-founder of the playhouse Louise Dumont died.

After the takeover of the Nazis in 1933 Lindemann had to give up the line of the play. The municipal theaters, under the direction of Walter Bruno Iltz , took over the theater building as an additional venue. In 1943 the theater was almost completely destroyed in an air raid and was not rebuilt after the war.

The municipal theaters, which had their venue since 1875, where the opera house has stood since 1955 , went back to the theater set up on the market square in 1747 under the Palatinate Elector Karl Theodor - the first that could also be visited by citizens of the city . (The very first theater building in Düsseldorf, which was built in 1696 under Johann Wilhelm , was on Mühlenstrasse.)

The new establishment in the Operettenhaus

After the end of the Second World War in 1945, Gustaf Gründgens , who was born in Düsseldorf and studied at the Dumonts Theater Academy, took over the general management of the municipal theaters in 1947 . Their acting division went on in 1951 when the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus was founded. The contract for the establishment of the “New Acting Society” was signed on April 10th. Gründgens had proposed the name of the new theater in recognition of the theater tradition shaped by his teachers Dumont and Lindemann between 1905 and 1933. A merger of the three Rhenish theaters in Cologne , Bonn and Düsseldorf sought by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia was averted due to vehement protests on the part of Gründgens.

The newly founded Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus took over the operetta house on Jahnstrasse as a venue from 1951 to 1970. The building was originally built as a hotel in 1904. In 1910 it was converted into a theater house. After further restructuring for theater purposes in 1927, the manageable building was used for operettas and occasional cinemas . Gründgens inaugurated the Operettenhaus as the first artistic director with a production of Schiller's Robbers on September 13, 1951. The opening of the theater was an enrichment for the cultural life in Düsseldorf, which came to a standstill in the post-war period. Productions under the direction of Gründgens made the theater the most important contemporary theater stage in Europe. The best-known production from that time is Gründgens' production of Goethe's Faust I , which appeared on phonograph records in 1954. During the Gründgens era, Karl Brückel , Elisabeth Flickenschildt , Käthe Gold , Marianne Hoppe , Paul Hartmann , Rudolf Therkatz , Hans Müller-Westernhagen and Jürg Baur worked in Düsseldorf.

However, the size of the Operettenhaus was from the beginning too small for the purposes of the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus. Despite numerous improvisations, the Operettenhaus could neither meet the demands of the theater management nor those of the audience. The number of spectators exceeded the legally permitted framework. Gründgens referred to the operetta house, as Meiszies quotes, as a “stable” or “barn”. The operetta house was intended as a temporary facility from the start, so a new building was urgently required in the foreseeable future. In 1955 Gründgens moved to the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg. In his inaugural speech there, he justified the termination of his work in Düsseldorf solely on the basis of the risk of stagnation. He saw in this the comfort of the artistic director and at the same time the danger of responsibility towards art, as Meiszies quotes.

Karl-Heinz Stroux took over the artistic direction of the house as the successor to Gründgens. His staging of lonesco's The King dies took part in the first Berlin Theatertreffen in 1964 . During the Stroux era, Elisabeth Bergner , Ernst Deutsch , Wolfgang Grönebaum , Fritz Kortner , Erni Mangold , Bernhard Minetti , Karl-Maria Schley , Paula Wessely , Maria Wimmer and Tom Witkowski worked in Düsseldorf - in guest performances or with permanent engagements .

The new building of the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus

As already mentioned, due to its small size, the Operettenhaus was a temporary solution from the start, so a new building was considered in 1957. In 1958 the choice fell on a rubble plot on Goltsteinstrasse / Bleichstrasse. The 1959 international competition was finally decided in 1962 when the contract was awarded to the local architect Bernhard Pfau. The Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus was built between 1965 and 1969 and was inaugurated on January 16, 1970 with the performance of Büchner's Danton's death .

The opening of the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus in January 1970 was accompanied by angry protests. The costs for the construction of the house had risen from an initially calculated 25 million DM to finally 41 million DM and, since it was a building in the city of Düsseldorf, aroused the minds of the citizens. In addition, there had been no free ticket sales for the performance. Only invited guests were admitted. Under the motto “Citizens in the theater - throw the fat bigwigs out”, demonstrators gathered on Gustaf-Gründgens-Platz, who loudly demanded the removal of the new building. The building was then cordoned off by the police, injured and around 20 people arrested. The repellent unity of the large sculptural form was interpreted as a symbol of an elitist understanding of culture.

competition

In May 1959, the city of Düsseldorf announced an architectural competition for the construction of the new theater. In addition to local architects, internationally renowned architects such as Le Corbusier , Ludwig Mies van der Rohe , Walter Gropius and Richard Neutra were asked to take part in the competition. For various reasons, however, all of the architects named except Neutra turned down the offer. Central to all competition designs was the consideration of the urban context of the property on Goltsteinstrasse / Bleichstrasse on which the theater was to be built. The proximity to the Hofgarten and the direct vicinity to the Thyssen skyscraper determined the freedom of the competition participants' concepts. According to the requirements, a pure playhouse with a small and a large stage and a spacious foyer should be created. 58 concepts were submitted in the first phase of the competition. However, the committee, chaired by Friedrich Tamms , came to the conclusion in March 1960 that none of the concepts was convincing in all of the required points. The works of Bernhard Pfau from Düsseldorf, Richard Neutra from Los Angeles and Ernst Friedrich Brockmann from Hanover were awarded. In a second competition phase, all of the work mentioned should be revised again. In February 1961, at the end of the second phase of the competition, the decision for a draft was made by the main committee of the City Council of Düsseldorf, as the committee was again unable to make a decision. In November 1961, Bernhard Pfau was officially commissioned to plan and realize the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus. The decisive factor for the decision in favor of Pfau was the urban quality of his design. The committee already praised this after the first competition phase. "The happy thought of developing a large-format, three-dimensional form of original independence at this point produces an astonishingly good urban development effect."

Formative directors of the house

In 1972 Ulrich Brecht became director, he also opened the house to the public for premieres, followed by Günther Beelitz (1976–1986) and Volker Canaris (from 1986). From 1996 to 2006 Anna Badora , who, unlike her two predecessors, also directed the house on a regular basis, was in charge of the house. She was replaced by Amélie Niermeyer in the 2006/2007 season . She was followed in the 2011/2012 season by the Swedish theater director Staffan Valdemar Holm , who resigned on November 28, 2012. After an interim management by Manfred Weber , Günther Beelitz followed again in 2014 as general director.

present

Since the 2016/2017 season, the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus has been under the general management of Wilfried Schulz , who moved from the Dresden State Theater to the state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia. Since June 2008, the Schauspielhaus has additional rooms on an area of ​​13,939 square meters in the building of the former parcel post , Worringer Straße 140, near Düsseldorf Central Station . In addition to the second / rehearsal stages, the building named CENTRAL also houses a carpenter's shop, locksmith's shop, painter's hall, set store, costume store, decoration workshop and technical rooms. The landmark of the CENTRAL has since been the newly designed foyer bridge with light installations. The Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus also has the Junge Schauspiel in Münsterstrasse, which has two stages. The theater building on Gustaf-Gründgens-Platz has been renovated since January 2016. Nevertheless, several pieces were performed there from the 2016/2017 season. From the 2019/20 season, the full repertoire will again take place in the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus on Gustaf-Gründgens-Platz.

Design and realization of the theater by Bernhard Pfau

Bernhard Pfau's demands on his design

During the concept phase, Pfau worked with Paul Schneider-Esleben in a joint venture. However, due to contradicting content orientations, everyone ultimately submitted their own draft. Pfau had high demands on his concept. “In no case should the theater be confused with a profane building of any kind,” Pfau demands and bases his design on three essential aspects. These are, on the one hand, the urban context of the theater, on the other hand, the central question of the stage concept and, on the other hand, the requirement to find an architectural expression that corresponds to the essence of the theater.

Outside

Urban context of the drama

The Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus in contrast to the Dreischeibenhaus

The Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus was built on a rubble site. To the north of its location is the Hofgarten, to the east is Bleichstrasse / Goltsteinstrasse, to the south is Gustaf-Gründgens-Platz, the former Jan-Wellem-Platz , and to the west is the Thyssen skyscraper in the immediate vicinity. It has already been stated that this pre-existing environment influenced the design of the theater. Despite the commissioning of Pfau in 1961 and the praise that he had taken this urban development context into account in a competent manner, his design was changed in 1962 with regard to its orientation. On the advice of the chairman of the committee, Friedrich Tamm, Pfau's design was mirrored around its north-south axis and moved north towards the courtyard garden. This floor plan had the advantage that the stage entrances were no longer opposite the main entrance of the Thyssenhaus, but a stronger spatial connection to the Hofgarten was created and Jan-Wellem-Platz, today's Gustaf-Gründgens-Platz, was enlarged. The strongest urban development influence on the new theater to be built comes from the Thyssen high-rise, which was built in 1960 based on the design by Helmut Hentrich and Hubert Petschnigg and is also known under the name Dreischeibenhaus, borrowed from its shape. The Thyssenhaus essentially shapes its environment through its pronounced horizontality. A theater to be built in its neighborhood either had to subordinate itself to this requirement or counter it with its own concept. Pfau opted for the latter and created an exciting contrast with his design for the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus. The effort to achieve such a contrast was decisive for Pfau and his design from the start. As a formal basic order, Pfau had therefore opted for the sphere as the maximum contrast to the disc. The architect differentiated his designs on the basis of this formal order. From the design of a spherical building, first the design of a lens-shaped structure developed, and ultimately the design of the large sculptural form made of a layered panes, which is realized today. With this large sculptural form, Pfau contrasted the three-pane house, which is characterized by cubic forms, with a building that is essentially vertically oriented and made of rounded elements. The detailed, matt white surface of the theater is diametrically opposed to the dark, mirrored, clearly structured facade of the Dreischeibenhaus. Niederwöhrmeier describes the immediate vicinity of these two buildings as antithetical and recognizes the originality of Pfau's architectural work. Contemporary critics interpreted that tense contrast of the buildings as a code for the polarity of rationality and musicality as characteristics of the city of Düsseldorf. According to this view, the economy and art, which were seen as the dominant forces in the city of Düsseldorf, should be reflected in the architecture on Gustaf-Gründgens-Platz.

Facade description

Floor plan of the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus

The main characteristic of the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus is its homogeneity and cohesion. The highest part of the building complex is the stage tower, which measures approx. 27 meters in height and represents the core of the building. Several horizontally staggered, convex and concave white surfaces form the detailed building. This cannot be explored through a frontal facade view in the conventional sense, because it lacks any known dimensions of the building structure. The Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus requires an all-round view for a holistic assessment. Niederwöhrmeier performs the comparison of the building with a sculpture or a sculpture of the 16th century, which let be detected only by walking around.

The Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus from above

This is also the case with the Schauspielhaus, whose complex plasticity can only be revealed by walking around it. Depending on the position of the observer, there are four to five overlapping facade surfaces. In some places these wind towards the inside of the building and thus create space for terrace areas. The heights of the storeys can only be guessed at from the minimalist windowing of the building. Identically large, square windows wrap around the building and form several rows of windows that condense in some places and thus underline the dynamism of the building sculpture. The dominant closedness of the playhouse is only broken through for functional purposes on the ground floor. However, the opening of the facade on the ground floor is not partial, but encloses the entire building and thus maintains its homogeneous appearance. Here, supports take the place of the facade surfaces and form a covered walkway in the basement. The impression is created as if the homogeneous, white building complex is floating on the basement.

Technical challenges and materiality

In addition to the approval of the Pfau design, there were also critical voices from the specialist audience. The skepticism was primarily directed towards the feasibility of the outer skin of the heavily moving building complex. “It will be interesting to see whether the author has the strength to bring the design back to its original independence after all the weaknesses have been eliminated.” In fact, the final realization of the design was associated with considerable conceptual and technical effort . The construction of the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, which was finally completed, can be understood as the result of a continuous development process. Concerning the facade, Pfau developed numerous designs in advance of the final concept. The variant of a load-bearing facade, based on a ship's hull made of steel, was rejected, as was the concept of a curtain facade made of perforated sheet metal, which, according to Pfau, should represent an abstraction of a light and air-permeable knitted shirt. The facade cladding was ultimately realized with panels . This variant posed a technical challenge, as the material did not create any reflections, allowed convex and concave curves and, moreover, had to be installed without externally visible fastenings. The choice of material for the process facade fell on sheet steel panels coated with white PVC plastisol . The 30 cm wide and 1.5 mm thick panels could be installed vertically over a length of up to 16 meters. The suspension was not visible from the outside by means of fastening clips on the back of the panels and surrounding bars made of angular steel. In addition to the panels for cladding the facade, the curved building outline of the design presented a technical challenge in terms of implementation. The complex curvature of the building could not be defined with the circular geometry and therefore had to be developed from free curves and straight lines and then on a scale of 1: 1 be laid out and corrected in an exhibition hall. The curvature was then transferred with a coordinate network.

Organic architecture

It has already been pointed out that the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus cannot be captured using a classic frontal perspective description of the facade. Pfau himself saw his construction more as an enclosure than a building. The layers of the white panes in their concave and convex turns are less reminiscent of a static building and more of something organic. The Düsseldorfer Schauspiel can therefore be assigned to organic architecture . The heterogeneous architecture category developed at the beginning of the 20th century and, as the term suggests, is characterized by its organic forms borrowed from nature. In an equivalent manner, Niederwöhrmeier also shows the building's relation to the Novo style. This style, which is also characterized by curved shapes, shaped the everyday culture of the fifties in particular. The works of Alvar Aalto and Le Corbusier are cited as models for the von Pfau playhouse , since these can also be understood as large sculptural forms. The literature also agrees on the strong unity of form and function of the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus. The exterior of the building corresponds to what is happening inside. Bernhard Pfau himself was of the opinion that with the playhouse “he had found a form that expresses theater and nothing else.” The interpretation of the windings of the white façade surfaces of the architectural sculpture as an oversized theater curtain appears against the background of the unity of form and function not absurd. Further interpretations associate the process of metamorphosis in nature in the organic formal language of the play , for example the turns of a butterfly out of its cocoon .

Inside

The interior of the playhouse is partly symmetrical in its basic structure for better internal orientation in the house. The audience area as well as the Great House are axially symmetrical and aligned with the stage axis. The interior of the theater, which comprises a total of five floors, can be reached through the entrance and ticket office building on the ground floor. This is oriented towards Gustaf-Gründgens-Platz and protrudes from the building complex. This is followed by the cloakroom foyer on the largely open ground floor. This surrounds the stage tower, which continues inside the building. When the visitor walks around the stage tower, he arrives in the main foyer, which is positioned below the auditorium. The sequence of rooms in the foyers is also differentiated with different floor coverings.

The foyer of the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus

With its fully glazed facade, the main foyer initially reveals a view of the terraces in front and then of the courtyard garden. The ceiling construction is characteristic of the main foyer. A massive, downwardly conical column in the middle of the foyer supports 23 up to 15 meters long radial reinforced concrete girders. Pfau contrasts the rough texture of the reinforced concrete with the Portuguese marble and button mosaic used in the floor design . Schubert is critical of the rib construction of the foyer ceiling. The basically spacious area of ​​the foyer is narrowed by the heavy reinforced concrete girders. Overall, the construction seems overwhelmingly massive. Two large, free-standing stairs lead from the main foyer into the auditorium of the Great House. When climbing the stairs, the view is initially directed towards the glazed facade and thus towards the courtyard garden. An intermediate platform steers the aisle and viewing direction by 90 degrees and aligns it with the auditorium. The stage tower, as a core element of the house, occupies a total of four upper floors. The artist's dressing rooms and the general manager's rooms are on the second floor, the technical management on the third, the costume department and rehearsal stages on the fourth and fifth floors. A passage on the ground floor leads between the small and large houses from Gustaf-Gründgens-Platz through the building to the courtyard garden side. At the end of the passage, a theater café, facing the courtyard garden, forms a social meeting point.

Large house

The large house of the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus has no rank and dispenses with cross and central aisles and stands. On an area of ​​30 by 28 meters, there is room for up to 738 spectators in the rising rows of seats. The ceiling and the walls of the auditorium are uniformly lined with wooden slats. The 50-meter-long wooden slats run parallel to the stage from the floor of one of the wall surfaces, across the ceiling to the end of the wall on the opposite side. The curve from the wall to the ceiling is smoothly rounded off by the bend in the slats. Functional openings were created in the walls for technical purposes such as lighting and sound engineering. However, these are not visible from the auditorium as the room tapers towards the rear.

View from the stage into the auditorium of the Great House

Pfau describes the lining of the auditorium as an "hearing and viewing bowl", says Niederwöhrmeier. This is based primarily on the optical unit that opens up to the viewer's gaze into the room. The detailed homogeneity of the hall directs the audience's attention uninhibitedly onto the stage and creates what is known as the “viewing bowl”. The designation “hearing bowl” results from Pfau's orientation towards a wooden sound box. The lamellas used are made of bird's eye maple wood, which is also used in instrument making due to its acoustically excellent material properties. In an interview with Tamms, the architect expressed his desire to design the interior of the Great House like the interior of a string instrument. Pfau succeeded in implementing this endeavor together with the acoustician Heinz Graner. This caused the wall surfaces of the auditorium to be inclined by 14 degrees in order to rule out an acoustic focal point, which could result from the circular-like floor plan. Furthermore, the reinforced concrete construction of the stage tower is useful for the acoustics, as its weight shields the stage area from airborne noise. These acoustically motivated conceptions of the building, in their totality, achieve a sound quality that can be described as excellent and even makes the actors' breathing pauses audible. The color scheme of the auditorium is kept subtly dark. The gray-brown slats, the red floor covering and the olive-green, now dark-blue seats form a neutral background for the audience, which, according to Pfau, has its own color scheme. Only the curtain designed according to a design by Günter Grote has a more intense, patterned color. The stage of the Great House is a classic box-type stage . The resulting strict separation of auditorium and theater can be weakened in the large house by variable floor and wall elements. The stage can be enlarged directly into the auditorium. It also has three side stages and a back stage.

Small house

Pfau's extensive examination of the problem of stage design is, however, evident in the small house of the theater. The Little House is diagonally across from the Big House. Just like the big house, the small one also has a wooden shell as described at the beginning to close off the room. Overall, however, the small house is designed much less homogeneously than the large one. This is due to the variable stage concept, which, depending on the stage arrangement, offers space for 219 or up to 309 spectators.

Stage design

The stage concept of the peep box, which strictly separates the stage and auditorium from each other, was an integral part of the requirement profile for the designs of the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus. However, Pfau questioned this traditional form of theater. In the run-up to the design planning, he had therefore dealt intensively with potential theater stages and put together an extensive collection of material on realized and planned theater buildings. On the basis of this collection, he compared his own thoughts on the stage design with those of others. He particularly noticed Jacques Polieris' spherical theater and Erwin Piscator's spatial stage . These two concepts realized the new understanding of the actor-spectator relationship, which represented itself in the connection and opening of stage and auditorium. These concepts, according to his own admission, led Pfau to the most sensible action in his position. “I asked the theater people myself. I asked them: what do you want? What do you expect from a new theater? The answers can be summarized as follows; they say something like: We want nothing more than as large, wide, usable space as possible, yes, 'scope' ”. Pfau also sought a conversation with the theater manager and director Piscator. In the 1920s, together with Walter Gropius , he pursued the concept of the spatial stage as a formative innovation of the post-war period. For the Great House, Pfau ultimately decided on a subtle further development of the traditional stage form of the peep box theater. A variable front stage made it possible to reduce the distance between the actors' room and the auditorium as required. The stage concept of the small house, on the other hand, is based on the Piscators room theater and offers Pfau space for his innovative understanding of the stage. The Little House has an experimental stage, which can be flexibly converted into an arena theater , a peep box theater or a room stage as required . For this purpose, the spectator seats are mounted on wagons and the stage technology is mounted on movable towers and podiums. The already mentioned wooden shell of the room can also be varied thanks to the folding and swiveling elements. Overall, the small house has a "workshop character" due to the numerous possible variations and the visible stage technology. The color scheme and materiality of the room is coordinated with this technical, raw character of the hall. With regard to the Small House, one can legitimately speak of the “stage instrument” called for by Walter Gropius.

Classification of the playhouse in the oeuvre of Bernhard Pfau

The Mainz- born architect Bernhard Pfau founded his first own studio in Düsseldorf and initially built single-family houses in the 1930s. This work, focusing on the style of the new architecture are based, are already showing the generosity and brightness that have become dominant constant throughout the oeuvre permeated by the architect. Because of these characteristics of his work, Pfau is also known as a glass architect. Examples include the renovation of the Loeb family house in 1930 and the construction of the residential and commercial building of the optician Zeim. During the Second World War, Pfau worked on a few construction projects in France. In 1949 the architect returned to Düsseldorf and shaped the cityscape with numerous buildings. An example of this is the Düsseldorf House of the Glass Industry from 1950, with which he was able to build on his pre-war work in the New Building style. Central to Pfau's work in the post-war period is also his political participation in the Düsseldorfer Architektenring . This was directed against the planned city planning of Düsseldorf, which was directed under the aegis of Friedrich Tamms by former supporters of the National Socialists. His commitment to this urban planning based on the National Socialist model resulted in major losses for his order situation in Düsseldorf. If you look at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus against this background, you will find that it occupies a special position in his work due to its unity and plasticity, which was previously unknown by Pfau. In contrast to Pfau's previous buildings, which were dominated by glass, this element recedes in favor of the homogeneity of the building in the theater. The large organic form represents a design focus that was also previously unknown by Pfau. On closer inspection, however, parallels to previous buildings can be identified. The play shows similarities to the lecture hall building of the textile engineering school, which was built by Pfau in Krefeld in 1959. This building shows a similar plasticity and cohesion as well as a contrast to the neighboring building. The study house , which was built by Pfau in 1967 and planned at the same time as the theater, can even be understood as a prototype, according to Niederwöhrmeier. Numerous features such as the basic structure of the building developed from the circular geometry, the radially arranged supporting structure and the arrangement of the cloakrooms support this assumption. Basically, it can be said that the detachment from the cubic floor plan and the move towards a freer floor plan, as was the case with the construction of the theater, pointed the way for Pfau's subsequent buildings. This tendency is exemplified by the residential buildings Fischer and Winkelmann.

Trivia

The Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus is one of the motifs for the desktop background of Microsoft Windows 7 .

Invitations to the Berlin Theatertreffen

literature

  • Claudia Elbert: Friedrich Weinbrenner's theaters. Buildings and designs. Karlsruhe 1988, ISBN 978-3-7880-7340-4 .
  • Clemens Klemmer: Master of Modernism. The Düsseldorf architect Bernhard Pfau. In: Verlegergemeinschaft Werk, Bauen + Wohnen, November 75, 1988, pp. 84–86.
  • Hannelore Schubert: Modern theater building. International stations, documentaries, projects, stage technology. Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-7828-0416-3 , pp. 168-170.
  • Hans Schwab-Felisch: The Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus with 135 illustrations. Düsseldorf 1970, ISBN 3-430-18194-1 .
  • Hans Schwab-Felisch: Seventy-five years of the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus 1905–1980. ISBN 3-430-18194-1 .
  • Julius Niederwöhrmeier: The life's work of the Düsseldorf architect Bernhard Pfau 1902–1989. Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 978-3-7828-4033-0 , pp. 263-292.
  • Markus Brüderlin (Ed.): Archiskulptur. Dialogues between architecture and sculpture from the 18th century to today. Exhib. Cat. October 3, 2004 to January 30, 2005 in the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen. Basel, Ostfildern-Ruit 2004, ISBN 3-7757-1491-X
  • Paul Ernst Wentz: Architecture Guide Düsseldorf. Düsseldorf 1975, object no. 12, ISBN 3-7700-0408-6 .
  • Peter Adamski: Mutation. In: Stattzeitung No. 165 (September 1989) pp. 4-5.
  • Winrich Meiszies (Hrsg.): Century of the drama. From the Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf to the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus. Düsseldorf 2006, ISBN 3-7700-1242-9 , pp. 7–31 / 149–155 / 182–187.

Web links

Commons : Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The dispute over the theater continues. In: rp-online.de. November 12, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  2. ^ Ensemble: Actors ( Memento from April 10, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) In: dhaus.de, accessed on April 9, 2018.
  3. ^ Ensemble: Guest Actor In: dhaus.de, accessed on April 9, 2018.
  4. ^ Ensemble: Regisseure In: dhaus.de, accessed on April 9, 2018.
  5. ^ Ensemble: stage and make-up artist In: dhaus.de, accessed on April 9, 2018.
  6. ^ Ensemble: Musicians In: dhaus.de, accessed on April 9, 2018.
  7. ^ Ensemble: Employees In: dhaus.de, accessed on April 9, 2018.
  8. ^ Homepage Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus
  9. ^ Literaturrat NRW e. V. (Heinrich Heine Institute Düsseldorf): Literature Archive NRW | Special exhibition | Belonging to both banks of the Rhine. In: literatur-archiv-nrw.de. www.literatur-archiv-nrw.de, accessed on February 27, 2016 .
  10. ↑ See Meiszies 2006, p. 149.
  11. ↑ See Meiszies 2006, p. 150.
  12. ↑ See Meiszies 2006, p. 150.
  13. ^ Homepage Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus
  14. ↑ See Meiszies 2006, pp. 150–151.
  15. ^ Theater Museum of the State Capital Düsseldorf / Dumont-Lindemann Archive. In: onb.ac.at. Theater Museum of the State Capital Düsseldorf / Dumont-Lindemann-Archive, accessed on February 27, 2016 .
  16. ↑ See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, p. 263.
  17. ↑ RP ONLINE: Latest News | RP ONLINE. In: rp-online.de. www.rp-online.de, accessed on February 27, 2016 .
  18. ↑ Düsseldorf Marketing & Tourism: Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus: "Culture shame or modern elegance?" ( Memento from October 8, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
  19. ↑ See Meiszies 2006, p. 182.
  20. ↑ See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, pp. 263-265.
  21. ↑ a b c d Cf. Niederwöhrmeier 1997, p. 270.
  22. ↑ Krämer 1960, pp. 17–63, quoted from Niederwöhrmeier 1997, p. 269.
  23. ↑ Andreas Wilink: Düsseldorf's Intendant Holm resigns - resignation after one and a half years. In: nachtkritik.de. November 29, 2012, accessed January 20, 2013 .
  24. ↑ Düsseldorf interim manager has to go. Retrieved November 16, 2016 .
  25. ↑ Arne Lieb: Düsseldorf: New Intendant Schulz takes over in 2016. Rheinische Post, November 13, 2014, accessed on September 22, 2018 .
  26. ↑ dhaus.de - venues. Retrieved September 22, 2018 .
  27. ^ Bernhard Pfau's explanations on the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, typescript 1965, quoted from Niederwöhrmeier 1997, p. 265.
  28. ↑ See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, pp. 264–265.
  29. ↑ See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, pp. 265–268.
  30. ↑ See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, p. 271.
  31. ↑ See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, pp. 280–281.
  32. ↑ See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, pp. 270–272.
  33. ↑ See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, p. 269.
  34. ↑ Conrads 1960 quoted in Niederwöhrmeier 1997, p. 270.
  35. ↑ See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, p. 272.
  36. ↑ See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, pp. 272–273.
  37. ↑ See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, pp. 273-274.
  38. ↑ See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, p. 281.
  39. ↑ 1832-1970. A documentation about the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, pp. 121–126, quoted from Meiszies 2006, p. 184.
  40. ↑ See homepage Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus
  41. ↑ See homepage Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus
  42. ↑ See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, p. 274.
  43. ↑ See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, pp. 274–275.
  44. ↑ a b c See Schubert 1971, p. 168.
  45. ↑ See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, p. 275
  46. ↑ a b cf. Niederwöhrmeier 1997, p. 268
  47. ↑ See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, p. 276.
  48. ↑ See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, p. 278
  49. ↑ a b See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, pp. 276–277.
  50. ↑ a b cf. Niederwöhrmeier 1997, p. 277.
  51. ↑ Bernhard Pfau, Thoughts on spoken theater and its stage. Typescript 1969 cited from Meiszies 2006, p. 184.
  52. ↑ See Klemmer 1988, pp. 84-86.
  53. ↑ See Niederwöhrmeier 1997, pp. 279-280.