Monbijou theater

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Amphitheater of the Monbijou Theater

The Monbijou Theater , formerly Hexenkessel Hoftheater , was a free theater in Berlin-Mitte with more than 100,000 visitors annually. It was located in Monbijoupark across from the Bode Museum . The theater had two performance venues. In summer the ensemble played in an open-air amphitheater and in winter the so-called “fairy tale huts”. Various other venues were also used at times. Since 2019, the Monbijoupark has been used by another operator as a venue for the “Theater on the Museum Island” ensemble.

history

The Monbijou Theater started in 1994 as the Hexenkessel Hoftheater , which was founded by several artists under the artistic direction of the director Jan Zimmermann. The ensemble initially played in a back courtyard at Schönhauser Allee 177 A. The Hexenkessel Hoftheater was successful with, among other things, Jan Zimmermann's Shakespeare productions and Grimm's fairy tales “for everyone”. Proximity to the public and the joy of improvisation brought the ensemble a large following.

In 2000 the free troop moved to the Spree in the Monbijoupark . Actor Christian Schulz, who had taken over the finances and was promoted to head of theater, brought business partner David Regehr on board.

In 2007 two fairy tale huts were built on the bunker roof in Monbijoupark, in which the Hexenkessel Ensemble staged and played fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm during the winter months . The fairy tale huts were named "Jacob Hut" and "Wilhelm Hut" in honor of the Brothers Grimm. They offered space for around a hundred spectators each. Both fairytale huts come from Poland and were transported to Berlin in individual parts.

January 2016. Winter fairy tale hut in Monbijou Park in Berlin-Mitte.

From 2006 to 2007 the theater company owned what is known as the theater ship, the MS Marie. The boat was anchored at the Ebertbrücke in front of the Bode Museum . Various pieces were performed on the deck of the ship during the summer months. A stage and seating for the audience were installed for this purpose.

Theater ship of the Monbijou Theater at the Bode Museum Berlin.

In 2008 the wooden amphitheater, designed by Regehr, was set up and used for the first time. It offered space for 450 spectators. For reasons of approval, the semicircular theater building had to be dismantled every autumn and re-erected the following spring.

In the summer of 2014, while the core troupe of the ensemble continued to perform in the amphitheater, actors also appeared on an old wooden cart, the “theater cart”. In front of the audience, the actors dragged it to the location of the performance and used it as a stage during the performance.

In 2014 the theater management renamed the Hexenkessel Hoftheater the Monbijou Theater . After theater director Schulz and parts of the ensemble fell apart, the main ensemble moved to the Pfefferberg in Prenzlauer Berg under the new name "Hexenberg Ensemble" . Since 2016, Zimmermann's originals have been played there in the Glaspalast. The Monbijou Theater continued to operate.

The Humboldt University, as the owner of the bunkers on which the theater and the fairy tale huts stood, rented the area to the non-profit Theater an der Museumsinsel GmbH in spring 2019.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hexenkessel Court Theater . Anagnorisis, August 2, 2010.
  2. ↑ Unsafe times for the Monbijoutheater . Der Tagesspiegel, August 7, 2018.
  3. ↑ Record number of visitors in fairytale huts . Berlin Week, March 3, 2016.
  4. ↑ a b The theater goes on . Tagesspiegel , June 30, 2019.
  5. ↑ The Shakespeare Siblings . Der Tagesspiegel, June 19, 2005.
  6. ↑ Cheerful Schmiere: "Don Juan" in the Hexenkessel Hoftheater . TIP, June 28, 2010.
  7. ↑ In the Hexenkessel on Schönhauser Allee, “What you want” is on the program. Berliner Kurier , July 24, 1997.
  8. ^ Occasionally cheerful. Berliner Zeitung , July 22, 1998.
  9. ↑ If need be, the main actor plays with an umbrella . Berliner Morgenpost , August 1, 2013.
  10. ↑ The man who stages places Berliner Morgenpost, August 26, 2012.
  11. ↑ David Regehr . Muxmäuschenwild Magazin, November 22nd, 2016.
  12. ^ Vita David Regehr In: Website of the Berlin State Opera
  13. ↑ Love chaos in a semicircle. Berliner Zeitung, June 29, 2008.
  14. ^ Hexenkessel Hoftheater becomes Monbijoutheater: New season. Berlin1, May 26, 2014.
  15. ↑ New Grimmis fairy tale venue in the Glaspalast . Tagesspiegel, November 18, 2016.
  16. ↑ Unbeatable duo . tag24.de, May 26, 2018.
  17. ^ Unsustainable conditions in the new theater in Monbijoupark . Berlin Week , July 13, 2019.