Theater Arnstadt

The theater and its history

Dramatic performances in Arnstadt date back to 1612. At the request of Count Anton Günter (1653-1716) there was even a court chapel, which, however, did not last long. The creation of two Arnstadt music dramas in 1705 is also of local interest:

​"Carnival" and

"The prudence of the authorities in ordering the brewing of beer",

which has become known under the name "Arnstadt Beer Opera". None other than JS Bach is considered its author.

​In the following decades, various acting companies made guest appearances in the city. They played mainly on the cloth floor of the town hall and after the renovation work of 1823 in the town hall hall. In 1839, Prince Günther Friedrich Karl II made the Princely Riding School in the palace garden available, but the house soon no longer met the artistic requirements. In order to change the provisional arrangement, the regent wrote to the Princely Chamber of Schwarzburg on May 22, 1842: "So that the court actors' society not only has to go to Arnstadt for a longer period of time this summer, but also more often in the future and give performances there. That's why I have gave the order to set up the princely riding school there for the theater building and caused you to have the timber required for this purpose assigned."

​Princely Court Theatre

​This rescript can be seen as the founding document of the theater in the palace garden, which was then called the "Princely Court Theater".

After the princely court actors' company initially performed in the Arnstadt theater, it was made available to traveling theater companies after a few years for cost reasons.

​In the second half of 1903, the theater was rebuilt at great expense and the season was then set at three months. 64 artists and technicians were permanently engaged in Arnstadt at this time. In addition to demanding works, the program also included comedies and operettas.

After World War I, the theater became the property of the city and was renamed the "Schlossgartentheater". But as early as 1922, the city was threatened with closure due to financial problems. In order to prevent this, theater lovers founded a theater community, which managed to keep the theater going through advertising and negotiations with state and municipal authorities. But the basic problem, the empty coffers, remained.

​With ever new artistic solutions one tried to solve it. So the "Schlosstheater" was temporarily used by Gotha. In 1937 the merger with Rudolstadt to form the "Landestheater Rudolstadt-Arnstadt" took place in the form of a special-purpose association. But as early as 1938, Arnstadt was running its "own theater" again.

​In the final phase of World War II, most of the artists were also drafted into the army, so that the house had to be closed on September 1st, 1944. The theater became an army depot. After the war, the building had to be thoroughly overhauled. A joint ensemble from Arnstadt and Rudolstadt commuted between the two places. After this theater community was dissolved, the city of Arnstadt maintained the theater. In 1950 the ensemble was dissolved due to financial difficulties, and in the years that followed, first the Erfurt theater and later the Rudolstadt theater played constantly in Arnstadt.

​On August 1st, 1988, the building was closed for renovation by decision of the city council. In the following years it was thoroughly renovated, reconstructed and expanded. The entrance area received an extension. A modern theater café was also added. In 1995 the Theaterverein Arnstadt eV was founded, which is now the operator of the theatre. On September 1st, 1995 the reopening of the "Theater im Schlossgarten" took place.

In a season that lasts from September to June, an average of 120 very different events are offered. The spectrum ranges from large music theater and symphony concerts to drama, dance, chamber concerts, cabaret, shows, cabaret to rock and pop concerts.

Even cinema is performed once a month. In addition to partners who perform regularly in Arnstadt, well-known artists known through the media also come to the Theater im Schlossgarten for one-off guest performances. There are also a wide variety of offers for children and young people throughout the year. The highlights are the family musicals in the run-up to Christmas. In addition to these guest performances, the theater very successfully brings out its own productions in the areas of musicals, drama and children's theatre.