I was drawn to the theater in my research not only for its history, but for its current events. If I’m going to visit Berlin, I might as well see a show there! Most of the material I found was in German and I had a hard time finding anything in English, even on Wikipedia. There was a lack of any substantial current information on the Wiki page, so I’ve took it upon myself to update it. Some of the material on the page was not cited, so after a few hours of research I removed it and replaced it with relevant information.
Below (in deep red italics) is old version of the Wiki page and further below is my new-and-improved Wiki page (in blue). Let me tell you, it is hard to find information when everything is written in German, but I hope you enjoy the improvement.
Here is the link, so you can check if there have been any more changes: Friedrichstadt Palast, Wiki
The theater today
Despite the name, is the Friedrichstadt-Palast not in the city of Frederick, but in the Spandauer Vorstadt. The building is located on a site that was already known since 1900 as the showcase of Frederick Street and bears the number 107, about 400 meters north of the station Friedrichstrasse. It was built to replace the old theater that was closed in 1980.[8]
As the site of the new building was an area where the 18th century, the barracks of the 2nd Guard Regiment foot was to be used by the tax later. The barracks were demolished by the bombing at the end of the Second World War, its foundations rose between 1949 and about 1960, the former circus ring circus Barlay.[8] The new Friedrichstadt-Palast had a floor plan of 7,700 m². It opened on April 27, 1984. The new palace building is a concrete building with a rectangular floor plan, with Rundbogenformen articulated façade elements. Basic ideas of the interior of the old palace in the vestibule, in the revolutions, the chandeliers in the lobby and identified.[8][9]
The three reliefs on the south side and the relief on the north side of the building were created by the sculptor Emilia N. Bayer. The reliefs are concerned with the history of the palace as a circus, theater and vaudeville theater. The Friedrichstadt-Palast has a large hall with 1,895 amphitheatrically laid out seats, where shows are performed regularly. The theater floor with its 2,854 square meters of performing space is the largest stage in the world. Its 24 meters wide proscenium arch is the widest in Europe. Elements that may be in every show of the house, which are extendable from the lower two-meter pool, which has a capacity of 140,000 liters, and the ice surface. Every evening, the 32 dancers form the legendary kick line in the world. 2009 was the first meeting house cinema of the Berlinale and venue of the Fashion Show by Michael Michalsky during the Berlin Fashion Week 2009.[8][9]
Unique in Germany is also the Children and Youth Ensemble. More than 250 children aged six to sixteen years perform themed children's play for children on the big stage at the Friedrichstrasse and show their skills.[8]
Since 1995, the theater has been a GmbH company, first under the artistic director Alexander Iljinskij, from 2004 to October 2007 under the direction of Thomas Mann and Münster Guido Herrmann. Since 1 November 2007, Dr. Berndt Schmidt, is director and sole manager of the Friedrichstadt-Palast. In the earlier small revue in the basement of the Friedrichstadt-Palast is, since 2002 the Quatsch Comedy Club.[citation needed] The Claire-Waldoff Square in front of the theater are in the so-called "Berlin patch" the hand prints of show sizes, including Liza Minnelli, Ute Lemper, Caterina Valente, and Louis Armstrong.[citation needed] Following extensive investments into the millions, Friedrichstadt-Palast continues to be Europe’s biggest and most modern show palace. Today the Friedrichstadt-Palast is known for its unique program and theatre size. Here, Berlin’s great revue tradition lives on. Stage dialogue was almost eliminated completely which make the shows suitable for international guests.
The Theater today
Building
Today, the Friedrichstadt-Palast is the largest and most modern show palace in Europe. On April 27, 1984, the new palace opened. It measures 80 meters wide, 110 meters long and covers a floor area of 195,000 cubic meters. Its concrete architecture retains basic ideas of the old interior vestibule, but has a new contemporary façade. The three reliefs are visible on the sides of the building, by sculptor Emilia N. Bayer, in order to relate back to the history of the Palace as a circus, theater and vaudeville theater. [8]
The Friedrichstadt-Palast’s large hall is regularly used as a performing space and seats a capacity of 1,891 people. It is the largest stage in the world with a stage floor of 2,854 square meters. The 24 meters wide proscenium arch is the widest in Europe. [9]
Management
- 1995: The theater converted to a GmbH company.
- 1995 - 2004: Alexander Iljinskij became the first artistic director.
- 2004 - October 2007: Thomas Mann and Münster Guido Herrmann became the directors.
Performances
- November 2007-present: Dr. Berndt Schmidt became the director and sole manager.
Friedrichstadt-Palast is unique in its programing, ranging from children’s shows, guest performances, festival galas, and more. The Palace gears away from classic shows and towards feathers and boas to draw a younger crowd. The venue specializes in complex and fantastical performances that use state-of-the-art lighting and stage technology, over a hundred performers, and highly stylized acrobatic numbers. “Now we are modern - trying to compete with Las Vegas, but not in a western or American way,” said Bernd Schmidt. In residence, the Friedrichstadt-Palast has a Ballet Company, a show-band, and a Youth Ensemble. [10]
The Ballet Company, directed by Alexandra Georgieva, includes 60 dancers from 18 countries worldwide. The special quality of the ensemble is the blend of different styles of dance, including jazz, modern, hip-hop and street-dance. [11]
The show-band of the Friedrichstadt-Palast, directed by Daniel Behrens, include 15 musicians. [12]
The Children and Youth Ensemble, “Children play for children,” is one of Germany’s more transitional institutions with more than 250 Berlin children ranging from ages 6-16. The beginnings of this ensemble dates back to 1947 when 250 Berlin children trained here. Now, over 1,000 children in Berlin apply, but only 20-30 can be accepted. Former members of this ensemble have been Paula Beer (won Best Young Actress Award from the Bavarian Film Award), Alina Levshin (won Best Actress for “Warrior” from the German Cinema Film Award), and Julia Richter (TV stars in “Crime Scene” and “The Old Man”). [13]
The Quatsch Comedy Club is located in the basement of Friedrichstadt-Palast. The Club’s founder Thomas Hermanns launched the popularity of stand-up comedy in Berlin in the early nineties. From Thursday to Sunday, high calibre stand-up comedians from all over Germany perform at the “Club Mix.” Guests have been Bernhard Hoëcker, Olaf Schubert, Dave Davis and Cloozy Haber. [14] [15]
I hope you see a difference and an improvement in my second entry. I got a huge sense of satisfaction by this project of mine. Now, when someone has to do research on the Friedrichstadt Palast, they will have current material that I helped them find to seek the information they need. I hope this will give you motivation to fix up a Wiki page too and make a difference in the Wiki-world.
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