Who are we? What is fair? Who decides? And why? Shining the spotlight on the great questions of mankind for an audience ranging from toddlers to young adults is an enormous achievement by Schauburg Munich.
The stunning illustrations on Schauburg’s website and brochures skilfully play with the name of the theatre, which is situated on Elisabethplatz in Schwabing district. Schauburg's repertoire encapsulates the entire spectrum of emotion, all condensed into performances by contemporary authors that have been written especially for a young audience.
These include reinterpretations of renowned world literature material as well as performance pieces that directly address those life experiences that shape young audiences and the social reality in which they grow up. The scene is set by a young ensemble which continually rouses both parents and grandparents from their seats. The programme has been sculpted by an awareness that the children and young people in the audience come from different cultures.
Andrea Gronemeyer, Director of the theatre since the 2017/18 season, attaches great significance to the fact that the performance pieces repeatedly focus on working together within a diverse society. Almost all theatrical means are just right when it comes to such an undertaking. On its two stages, the “Big Castle” and the “Small Castle”, a whole host of different performance styles are put on display - including dance, singing, rap and improvisation.
With the Schauburg Labor in Ramersdorf, Schauburg 2024 has opened a second venue. At Rosenheimerstraße 192, there is space for untamed creativity and soon there will also be a café. Here, children and young people of all ages have the opportunity to try their hand at dance, music, acting and writing throughout the season or in holiday projects.
The Schauburg is one of the largest and most important theatres for young audiences in Germany. It was founded in 1953 as the Munich Fairy Tale Theatre and then taken over by the city of Munich in 1969. The building in which the theatre now resides was built in 1926 as a cinema, which was then given the typical name ‘Schauburg’.
After 40 years as a cinema, it was then taken over by one of Germany’s most famous discotheques, the “Blow Up". During its five-year existence, Pink Floyd, Yes, and artists such as Jimi Hendrix and Sammy Davis, Jr. all performed there.
During the late 1970s, the city of Munich took over the building and converted it into a theatre for young audiences. At the time, the producers of children's theatre were demanding more "brains" and fewer fairy tales.
