Theaters are not only used for rehearsals and performances, but now and then construction workers also have to lend a hand. Because some stages and some technology are getting old.
Frankfurt/Darmstadt/Kassel (dpa/lhe) – Culture has its price. But not only for the program, for the artists and the other makers, money is needed. Technical modernization, renovations or a new building cost millions. “There is a great need for renovation and modernization at many opera houses and theater venues throughout Germany,” said the Hessian Ministry of Science and Art at the request of the German Press Agency.
For the state theaters in Kassel, Wiesbaden and Darmstadt, which are sponsored by the state and the respective cities, the state alone has earmarked a total of 78 million euros in the budget for modernization by 2024. Smaller measures would be carried out regularly at the three houses. Depending on age and use, the need for refurbishment, especially in the technical infrastructure, can be very specific and require extensive analysis, the ministry said.
For example, extensive investigations are currently underway for a thorough renovation of the historically important State Theater in Wiesbaden. The building erected in 1894, which was reopened 100 years ago after a stage fire, is being examined in various disciplines such as surveying, statics, stage and building services. Also included is a building from 1980 with workshops, administration and rehearsal stages. According to the information, there were recently renovations in fire protection, which were only possible to a limited extent due to ongoing operations. Further work is planned this year and next. The renewal of technical systems and a renovation of the arcade building in accordance with the requirements of the monument are also pending.
In the state theater in Kassel, which opened in 1959, the stage technology was renovated in the 1990s and the building technology was renovated until 2007. “Because of increased requirements, the stage technology in the big house should now be brought up to the current state of the art,” says the ministry. At the same time, the roof and the facade will be energetically renewed because of the necessary closure anyway. The costs here are still unclear. Implementation could start in 2025 at the earliest.
The new building of the State Theater in Darmstadt, which opened in 1972, was last completely renovated in 2006. Then in 2011 the underground car park and the forecourt. The small house is currently being completely renovated. Estimated costs: around 58 million euros. Planned later are a photovoltaic system, facade renovation, better accessibility and a renovation or new construction of administration, rehearsal rooms and workshops.
Frankfurt will have to dig deeper into its pockets with its theater plans. The municipal theaters have been housed in a common building on Willy-Brandt-Platz since 1963: the theater on the left, the opera on the right. Inside, parts still come from the previous building from 1902, which was destroyed in the Second World War. A fire in 1987 had further damaged the building.
A feasibility study had already shown in 2017 that the building could not be saved. A refurbishment would be more expensive than a new building and could not meet today’s requirements. In 2020, the city council decided to demolish the double system. Since then there has been a lot of discussion and testing – nothing has happened. The current status of the debate is that the opera and theater should be rebuilt in the city center: the opera on Willy-Brandt-Platz, the theater directly opposite. In the meantime, the costs have exploded: According to the current estimate of a commission of experts, the two new buildings would no longer be available for less than 1.27 billion euros.
According to the German Theater Association, as of 2020 there were around 140 public theatres, around 200 private theatres, around 130 opera, symphony and chamber orchestras and around 80 festivals, around 600 guest performances without a permanent ensemble and more than 400 touring theatres. “Instead of a single, overpowering cultural center – such as Paris is for France – there is a wealth of houses in Germany, which are often in no way inferior in terms of quality,” says the association’s website.
