Theatre and Cinema in Berlin (Part 1)

Berlin can lay many claims to being a centre for artistic greatness, but possibly its most valid claims lie in the areas of theatre and cinema. Berlin has been the capital of German cinema since brothers Emil and Max Skladanowsky showed a series of short films to a spellbound German public in 1896. By 1918 there were already some 251 cinemas in Berlin and by 1925, the number of people involved in the film industry was nearly 50,000. At the same time, Berlin was fast becoming a landmark in European theatre thanks mainly to Reinhardt and Brecht. During the years of Nazi rule, many theatre people were killed or forced to emigrate as the stage became a propaganda machine, but after World War II a revival spread through Berlin’s theatres. The popularity of theatre and cinema continues today, perpetuated by the annual Film Festival.

Ticket And Price Information

Tickets for both cinema and theatre are usually reasonably priced in Berlin, but there are a few tips which are useful to remember if you are planning to visit either.

Students and senior citizens do not always receive a discount at the cinema, but often Tuesday or Wednesday is declared Cinema Day, when some tickets are cheaper. It is worth knowing that most ticket offices do not accept credit cards, so take cash.

For theatres, it is usually possible to pre-book tickets at least two weeks before a performance. You can buy them directly from the box office of the theatre or by telephone. Independent ticket vendors usually charge a commission of between 15 and 22 per cent.

Hekticket Theaterkassen specializes in last-minute tickets, so check with them on the day for special deals.

Major Stages

The Deutsches Theater and its small hall Kammerspiele on Schumannstrasse are top class theatres and offer a varied repertoire of productions. At Volksbühne you can see interesting performances of classical plays in modern settings and new plays by young authors.

The Berliner Ensemble (or BE for short) was once managed by Bertolt Brecht and Heiner Murler. The spectacles created by these two are still performed today.

Other major venues include the Maxim Gorki Theater, the Renaissance-Theater and the Schaubühne.

Alternative Theatre

There are a number of alternative theatres in Berlin. The three-theatre company Hebbel am Ufer (HAU) is devoted to avant-garde theatre and considered the city’s best alternative stage. The smaller boulevard theatres like Theater am Kurfürstendamm offer different, and somewhat lighter programmes.

Other notable venues include Bat-Studiotheater and the Kleines Theater.