Neues Schauspielhaus
Encyclopedia
The Neues Schauspielhaus (New Theatre) on Nollendorfplatz
in the Schöneberg
district of Berlin
was built in 1905 as a theatre and concert hall in the then-fashionable Art Nouveau
style. From 1911 it also included a cinema.
From the beginning of World War I the theatre turned into an operetta
stage until in 1927, Erwin Piscator
and Tilla Durieux
opened their Theater am Nollendorfplatz in the building. Piscator created time-critical performances by playwrights like Ernst Toller
and Walter Mehring
, with artists like Bertold Brecht, George Grosz
and John Heartfield
at times working with him. Piscator emigrated in 1931 and after the Nazi takeover the house again became an operetta theatre under the direction of Harald Paulsen
.
While the auditorium was destroyed in World War II, the facade as well as the cinema survived and in 1951 was renamed Metropol. Since 1977 it has been used as a discothèque and became a famous music club during the 1980s heyday of West Berlin
, frequented by bands like Depeche Mode
, The Cross
, The Human League
or Front 242
. For a short time in 2000 it was the location of the KitKatClub
and in 2005 the architect Hans Kollhoff
remodeled the interior as the Goya night club.
Nollendorfplatz
Nollendorfplatz is a square in the Schöneberg district of Berlin. Colloquially called Nolli it was named in 1864 after the village of Nakléřov , a site of the 1813 Battle of Kulm....
in the Schöneberg
Schöneberg
Schöneberg is a locality of Berlin, Germany. Until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was a separate borough including the locality of Friedenau. Together with the former borough of Tempelhof it is now part of the new borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg....
district of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
was built in 1905 as a theatre and concert hall in the then-fashionable Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
style. From 1911 it also included a cinema.
From the beginning of World War I the theatre turned into an operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
stage until in 1927, Erwin Piscator
Erwin Piscator
Erwin Friedrich Maximilian Piscator was a German theatre director and producer and, with Bertolt Brecht, the foremost exponent of epic theatre, a form that emphasizes the socio-political content of drama, rather than its emotional manipulation of the audience or on the production's formal...
and Tilla Durieux
Tilla Durieux
Tilla Durieux was a renowned Austrian actress of the first decades of the 20th century.Born Ottilie Godefroy, she trained in Vienna, her native town and got her first engagement in Breslau...
opened their Theater am Nollendorfplatz in the building. Piscator created time-critical performances by playwrights like Ernst Toller
Ernst Toller
Ernst Toller was a left-wing German playwright, best known for his Expressionist plays and serving as President of the short-lived Bavarian Soviet Republic, for six days.- Biography :...
and Walter Mehring
Walter Mehring
Walter Mehring was a German author and one of the most prominent satirical authors in the Weimar Republic. He was banned during the Third Reich, and fled the country.-Biographical:...
, with artists like Bertold Brecht, George Grosz
George Grosz
Georg Ehrenfried Groß was a German artist known especially for his savagely caricatural drawings of Berlin life in the 1920s...
and John Heartfield
John Heartfield
John Heartfield is the anglicized name of the German photomontage artist Helmut Herzfeld...
at times working with him. Piscator emigrated in 1931 and after the Nazi takeover the house again became an operetta theatre under the direction of Harald Paulsen
Harald Paulsen
Harald Paulsen was a German actor. He appeared in 125 films between 1920 and 1954.He was born in Elmshorn, Germany and died in Hamburg.-Selected filmography:* Desires * Die Tödlichen Träume...
.
While the auditorium was destroyed in World War II, the facade as well as the cinema survived and in 1951 was renamed Metropol. Since 1977 it has been used as a discothèque and became a famous music club during the 1980s heyday of West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, frequented by bands like Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
, The Cross
The Cross
The Cross were a side project of Queen's Roger Taylor that existed from 1987 to 1993 and released three albums. Although the drummer in Queen, Taylor fronted The Cross as rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist. On its debut release, the classic rock band incorporated dance influences which they...
, The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
or Front 242
Front 242
Front 242 is a pioneering Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. They are known for being the premier pioneer of electronic body music and as a major influence on the electronic and industrial music genres.-Formation:...
. For a short time in 2000 it was the location of the KitKatClub
KitKatClub
The KitKatClub is a night club in Berlin, opened in March 1994 by Austrian pornographic film maker Simon Thaur and his life partner Kirsten Krüger.- Overview :...
and in 2005 the architect Hans Kollhoff
Hans Kollhoff
Hans Kollhoff is a German architect and professor.He studied architecture from 1968 to 1973 at the University of Karlsruhe with Egon Eiermann and studied abroad in 1974 at the Vienna University of Technology in Austria. He received his diploma in 1975 in Karlsruhe...
remodeled the interior as the Goya night club.