Society theater

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The Dessau Societätstheater (also “ social theater ”) was the oldest regular theatrical activity in the Anhalt residence. It was located in the spacious back building of a house with brewing rights on Zerbster Strasse in the old town of Dessau .

The first demonstrable performance of the " social theater " - a still rather informal lovers' association made up of representatives of the aristocratic court society as well as the educated middle class and civil servants of the royal seat - took place on September 24, 1774 (the birthday of Prince Leopold III. Friedrich Franz ) on the site of the "Vogelherds beim Dorfe Jonitz" (the later Luisium ) took place: the performance of the small opera "Elysium" with music by Anton Schweitzer - the musical director was the ducal music director Friedrich Wilhelm Rust .

After the success of this performance, the “ Societätstheater ” was formally opened on December 5, 1775 under the direction of Hofrat Leopold Herrmann, with its home in the brewery (back) building at Zerbster Str. 56 / corner of Böhmische Gasse (today: Zerbster Str. 16) . Since the landowner Kretzschmar renounced his "brows", there was also the possibility of a spatially comparatively generous stage of the Societätstheater .

In the Gotha theater calendar of 1781 it was written about this stage: “ … among the other social stages I first mention the Dessausche, whose prospects amount to around 60 people, and which is a new ornament of the city, which is already characterized by so much good and Beautiful distinguishes itself. The theater is nicely furnished, and society has had the hospitality to reserve a place in it for strangers. … ”Among the numerous plays staged by the social theater between 1775 and 1785 there are - in addition to many today forgotten works - also“ The Jews ”,“ Emilia Galotti ”and“ Minna von Barnhelm ”by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing . During his first visit to Dessau and Anhalt in 1776 , Johann Wolfgang von Goethe also saw performances by the Societätstheater and was obviously so impressed with the level that he arranged for a guest performance by the Weimar court actors: the Bellomo Society made a guest appearance at the old one from September 6, 1779 Orangery at the Lustgarten "... with a cycle of shows and comedies as well as comic operas ..."

With the involvement of the Bossann Acting Society , the Ducal Court Theater was founded in Dessau in 1794 and the Societätstheater lost its previous function for the court and the royal seat. However, for a short time the venue and the idea of ​​the Societätstheater gained in importance: Duke Leopold III. In 1810, Friedrich Franz had the (temporary) closure of the court theater announced for financial reasons as a result of the war.

Regular performances by professional traveling theater companies were only resumed in the court theater after the Vienna Congress in 1815.

literature

  • Bernhard Heese: "Dessauer Chronik" / second volume, Heimatbücherverlag B. Heese, Dessau 1927
  • Franz Brückner: "House book of the city of Dessau" / vol. 17, Dessau City Council / City Archives, Dessau 1989
  • Hartmut Runge: "Dessauer Theaterbilder", Anhaltische Verlagsgesellschaft, Dessau 1994