Theater im OP

Theater im OP stands in the former operating rooms of the Georg-August-Universität medical centre in the Landkreis Göttingen. Its stage occupies the old anatomical theatre, where the name ThOP comes from the German ‘Operationssaal’, meaning operating hall. The building once housed a university hospital, and the theatre still uses parts of the medical past. A separate staircase leads the audience to the steep benches that rise on east and west sides. The gallery on the south side can add more seats, turning the space into a thrust stage without any glass dome between actors and spectators.

The theatre began in 1984 when the university’s German Department drama section wanted to give students practical stage experience. It has grown into Germany’s largest student theatre and one of the biggest of its kind in Europe. Productions run for two weeks en suite, allowing up to twelve premieres each year and around 130 shows in total. Casts and crews are mostly students, but university staff and townspeople also take part. Directors must first serve as assistant directors, and senior members pass on skills to newcomers.

Visitors find an intimate atmosphere in the steeply rising benches that give an unobstructed view of the stage. The northern wall has a large window usually covered with black cloth, while the southern gallery can be used for extra seating. A lift reaches the main stage level, but the gallery is only accessible by stairs. Below the main stage lies the former emergency room, now a rehearsal space that can also host small public performances for up to thirty people. Costumes and props are stored in the attic of a nearby building. During roof repairs between 2014 and 2016 the theatre used alternative venues, including the Deutsches Theater and the Junges Theater in the city.