The Anhaltisches Theater Dessau, founded in 1794 as the ducal court theatre, is one of the most significant multi-genre theatres in Saxony-Anhalt. The current building at Friedensplatz, an imposing Neoclassical building from 1938, is among the largest theatre buildings in Central Germany with around 1,100 seats in the main hall. The three-genre house produces drama, music theatre, and ballet with its own orchestra (Anhalt Philharmonic Dessau). Dessau is a UNESCO World Heritage site as the Bauhaus city — Walter Gropius's famous Bauhaus building (1925/26) lies within sight of the theatre. The Wagner tradition of the house is remarkable; the annual Kurt Weill Festival honours the composer born in Dessau.
Kurt Weill, composer of The Threepenny Opera and Mahagonny, was born in Dessau in 1900 as the son of a Jewish cantor — the annual Kurt Weill Festival honours his work.
At a glance
- Type
- Multi-genre theatre
- Location
- Dessau, Germany
- Address
- Friedensplatz 1a, 06844 Dessau-Roßlau
More venues in Germany
- Aalto-Theater · Opera house, Essen
- Admiralspalast · Musical theatre, Berlin
- Alte Oper Frankfurt · Concert hall, Frankfurt am Main
- Altonaer Theater · Theatre, Hamburg
- Ballhaus Naunynstraße · Theatre, Berlin
- Bar jeder Vernunft · Theatre, Berlin
- Bayerische Staatsoper · Opera house, Munich
- Bayreuther Festspielhaus · Opera house, Bayreuth
- Berliner Ensemble · Theatre, Berlin
- Brandenburger Theater · Multi-genre theatre, Brandenburg an der Havel