Neues Theater

The Neues Theater stands in Halle’s Große Ulrichstraße 51, a converted cinema once called the Kino der Deutsch-Sowjetischen-Freundschaft. The building had fallen into poor repair before Peter Sodann, the theatre’s founding director, secured permission to remodel it. In April 1981 the first provisional performances began under the name neues theater. By 1982 the auditorium had become a flexible space with 280 movable seats and new lighting and dressing rooms. Ursula Müller’s stage design ‘Leb und vergiss nicht’ set the visual style for future productions.

The theatre soon added a second venue in the courtyard, opened as a Hoftheater for Christmas performances. A gallery for local artists appeared in the foyer, and in 1989 the former photographic shop became the Café nt. Peter Sodann led the house until 2005, shaping what is now called the Kulturinsel Halle. Later intendant Christoph Werner and Matthias Brenner expanded its reputation, culminating in invitations to the Berliner Theatertreffen and the festival Theater der Welt.

Today the main stage and the courtyard theatre share the same address. Visitors find a foyer with changing exhibitions, a café for intermission refreshments, and a flexible auditorium where seats and lighting can be rearranged. The building’s history is visible in surviving features such as the old box-office area and the converted photographic shop. Performances range from contemporary drama to experimental formats, reflecting the theatre’s original aim of intelligent popular theatre.