Culture in Munich - theatre in a big city
Culture in Munich is influenced by the many traditional theatres with their diverse and varied events.
The cultural scene of the Bavarian capital of Munich, with its diversity of museums, galleries and theatres, is one of the greatest in Germany. About 60 professional and private theatres as well as a large number of amateur theatres characterise the diversity of the culture in Munich and contribute to the international reputation of the Bavarian metropolis.
Great culture in Munich: theatre with rich history
The Prinzregententheater is among the best known and most popular Munich stages. Located in the Eastern district of Bogenhausen on the Prinzregenten square. The theatre was named after the prince regent Luitpold and it was opened in 1901 with Wagner's opera "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" (The Master-Singers of Nuremberg). The theatre offers around 1,000 seats for visitors. It is the home of the Bavarian State Opera, the State Theatre on Gaertnerplatz and the Bavarian Theatre Academy August Everding.
One of the most beautiful rococo theatre's in Germany is the Munich Cuvilliés Theatre in the Munich Residence, Germany's largest city castle. Mozart's Idomeneo was premiered in 1781 in the 1753 built former residence theatre. Later operas by Mozart were regularly performed. After its closure in 2004, the theatre was reopened four years later after extensive restoration work with modern technology. Today the home of the Bavarian State Theatre is the largest Munich speech stage, which offers dramas, plays as well as operas.
Staedtische Traditionstheater
Culture in Munich is mainly connected with the Munich Chamber games. The Staedtische Traditionstheater, a drama stage, was founded in 1911. Bertolt Brecht worked here in the 1920ies as a writer. Since 1926, the pretty Art Nouveau theatre in the Maximilianstrasse invites visitors and offers performances on one large and two small stages presenting classic and contemporary pieces. The Munich National Theatre opened with Schiller's "Kabale und Liebe" in a building in Altstadt-Lehel. From 1955 the stage performed in a multi-purpose hall in Briennerstrasse. The hall was redesigned in 1983 to today's national theatre with over 600 seats. The ensemble includes well known Bavarian actors like Gustl Bayrhammer, Helmut Fischer, Beppo Brem, Maria Singer and Willy Harlander. Today the performances are mainly classics.
