Anhaltisches Theater

About

Anhaltisches Theater Dessau is a theatre in Dessau, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, which was called Landestheater Dessau until 1984. It is Mehrspartentheater offering drama, musical theatre (operas, operettas, musicals), ballets, concerts of the Anhaltische Philharmonie orchestra, and puppetry. Today, the theatre has a capacity of around 1100 spectators and is equipped with one of the largest revolving stages in Germany. In October 2013, the theatre was included as endangered in the Rote Liste Kultur of the Deutscher Kulturrat.

History: Theatre life in Dessau has a long tradition. As early as 1794, there was a permanent theatre ensemble in Dessau. The first venue was the Fürstliche Reitbahn, and the first theatre director was Friedrich Wilhelm Bossann. The Anhalt Philharmonic Orchestra was also founded at this time. By 1798, Friedrich Wilhelm von Erdmannsdorff (Wörlitz Park) erected the first theatre building. As Leopold III, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau had the theatre closed in 1810 for financial reasons as a result of the events of the war, the amateur project Societätstheater once again gained importance for a short time. After two fires in 1855 (rebuilt) and 1922, the Fürstliche Reitbahn...