Travestie-Revue-Theater Carte Blanche

The Travestie-Revue-Theater Carte Blanche stands in Dresden’s Äußere Neustadt, a lively district known for its arts scene. The theatre occupies former dairy buildings in Prießnitzstraße, close to the still-standing Pfunds Molkerei shop. A small river, the Prießnitz, flows just behind the site, adding to the area’s character. The building once housed a milk-processing plant before Zora Schwarz transformed it into a stage for travestie shows. Today it shares the site with a cocktail bar called ZORA and the Backstage Hotel. The theatre’s history began in 1984 when Zora Schwarz and Erich Mühlheim started a touring travestie group across Germany. The theatre gained national fame in 2008 when Sat.1’s magazine programme followed Zora Schwarz for a week. A year later, on 25 July 2009, the ensemble celebrated its 25th anniversary with a revue attended by 4,000 people during the Dresden Film Nights. The show featured parodies of stars such as Cher, Madonna and Katy Perry, alongside regular guest artists like Elke Winter and Marcel Bijou. In June 2013 the building was flooded by the Prießnitz and had to close for six months of repairs. By October 2015 a rebuilt theatre opened with 220 seats, making it one of Europe’s largest travestie venues. Visitors find a glamorous auditorium with two stages and modern lighting. The programme changes monthly, often including well-known guest performers alongside the resident ensemble. Behind the scenes, costumes are stored in a dedicated fundus that survived the flood. The adjoining cocktail bar ZORA offers drinks before or after the show, while the Backstage Hotel provides accommodation nearby. The theatre’s foyer displays photographs and memorabilia from its forty-year history. Even after the loss of long-serving member Kim Jackson in 2022, the ensemble continued with new shows and a gala marking its 40th anniversary in June 2024.