The great legacy explains the attraction of the Thuringian theaters, whose foundations were laid during the times of Goethe and Schiller. At that time an art-loving era began which can one still feel a lot today. What the two famous German poets were to the theater, names as Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Franz Liszt and Max Reger are to Thuringian music history. Their work is still omnipresent: in concerts, in their homes, museums and churches. That is why the highlights of the Thuringian theater and concert calendar are very popular: Experiencing the works of great artists or contemporary pieces at the place of their creation makes an additional emotionality that does not exist anywhere else.
The State Theater is a classical building and was given to the city in 1879 by the banker and manufacturer Julius von Eichel-Streiber.
With its Ballet and Young Theater categories, which collaborate with the Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach, the theater provides a significant cultural contribution to Eisenach and the surrounding region.
Landestheater Eisenach
Theaterplatz 4-7
99817 Eisenach
+49 (0) 3691 - 25 60
Zur Website
The Ekhof Theatre in the west tower of Friedenstein Castle Gotha is considered one of the oldest baroque theatres in the world with still existing and functioning stage machinery. As early as 1681, the Milanese stage designer Giacomo Torelli installed a rapid transformation machinery with which the stage set could be changed in just eight seconds. In 1775, the first German court theatre was created here around the Gotha court composer Georg Anton Benda and Conrad Ekhof, the "father of German dramatic art". Every year, those interested can experience this unique ensemble as part of the Ekhof Festival, which is known beyond the region.
Ekhof Theater
Schloss Friedenstein
Schlossplatz 1
99867 Gotha
+49 (0) 3621 - 823 40
Zur Website
Gera’s splendid Art Nouveau theater combines theater and the concert hall under one roof and, with its five categories, offers an extraordinary program. From opera, operetta and symphony concerts to theater plays, music, ballet and puppet theater – there is always something for everyone.
Geraer 5-Sparten-Theater
Bühnen der Stadt Gera
Theaterplatz 1
07548 Gera
+49 (0) 365 - 82 79 10 5
info@tpthueringen.de
This historical and tradition-steeped building is a major venue for Weimar's cultural events calendar, offering up to 600 performances per year. The German National Theatre and the Staatskapelle Weimar cultivate a broad repertoire for lovers of music theatre, plays and concerts, ranging from classical to contemporary works.
Deutsches Nationaltheater und Staatskapelle Weimar GmbH – Staatstheater Thüringen
Theaterplatz 2
D-99423 Weimar
+49 (0) 03643 / 75 50
Zur Website
The Jena Theater House is well known for its eagerness to experiment and its young ensemble. Whether a world premiere, an adaptation of classics or performance theatre - here every theater lover finds something to suit his or her taste.
Contemporary art is shown: The program includes world premieres as well as modern adaptations of classics or performance theatre. Theater work with and for young people occupies just as much of the program, as does introducing children to theater.
One of the highlights is the annual summer festival on the square in front of the theater to mark the opening of Jena's Kulturarena festival.
Theaterhaus Jena
Theaterhaus Jena
Schillergässchen 1
07745 Jena
+49 (0) 3641 8869-0
Zur Website
In 1871, one of Semper’s students had the Court Theater, now the Landestheater, built according to the plans of the old Semper Opera in Dresden. Here, the only theater in Thuringia with five categories loans its splendid setting to performances of plays, music theater, puppet theater, ballet and symphony concerts in almost 300 events per year.
Landestheater Altenburg
Theaterplatz 19
04600 Altenburg
+49 (0) 3447 - 58 51 60
Zur Website
European theater history was written here under Duke George II, because "the Meiningen theater is the place where modern director's theatre" was invented (R. Schechner, New York University). Indeed, it is one of the most traditional theatres in Germany. The classical building was completely renovated in 2010 and 2011. In the main auditorium and the adjacent Kammerspiele, the audience can experience a varied program of plays, operas, operettas, musicals, concerts, ballet and puppet theater for all generations with 500 to 600 performances per season.
Meininger Staatstheater
Bernhardstr. 5
98617 Meiningen
+49 (0) 3693 / 451 222
Zur Website
At the court's instigation, the Rudolstadt Theater was initially built in 1792/93 as a summer venue. From 1794 to 1805, Goethe was the artistic director of the ensemble, which traveled from Weimar to perform on the Rudolstadt stage. Today, the ensemble has fused with the Thuringian Symphony Orchestra, with its 350-year-old tradition, in order to sustain the theater.
Theater Rudolstadt
Anger 1
07407 Rudolstadt
+49 (0) 3672 - 45 00
The rich repertoire of Nordhausen’s theater includes operas, operettas, plays, ballets and symphony concerts, cabaret and musicals. Making theater attractive to children and young people is an important priority, and special performances for these age groups are featured here.
Loh-Orchester Sondershausen
Theater Nordhausen
Theater Nordhausen
Käthe-Kollwitz.Str. 15
99734 Nordhausen
+49 (0) 3631 - 98 34 52
Zur Website
Once a princely riding arena, the Theater in the Castle Park is now used regularly for cultural events. Along with theater plays, there are also operettas, operas, musicals, concerts, cabaret, and ballet performances here. The small artistic ensemble regularly presents their own productions, which are always popular with their audiences.
Theater im Schlossgarten
Im Schlossgarten
99310 Arnstadt
+49 (0) 3628 - 61 860
Zur Website
In the late 19th century, the Meiningen theater performers during the reign of Duke George II were exemplary for stages all over Europe. The former ducal riding hall (1797) was converted into a theater museum in 1999. The presentation of one of the illusionist stage-sets from the unique collection of the Theater Museum offers an inkling of how early Hollywood cinema was inspired by the Meiningen theater practice. Every day, the unusual museum presents four showings: at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. with a program of film and scenic lighting on a historical stage set, illustrating how Meiningen wrote European theater history.
Theatermuseum „Zauberwelt der Kulisse“
Schlossplatz 2
98617 Meiningen
+49 (0) 3693 - 47 12 90
Zur Website