Theater an der Marschnerstraße

The theatre stands in Barmbek-Süd, a district of Hamburg-Nord, and is Hamburg’s largest amateur theatre with just under 300 seats. The building opened in 1956 after a six-month build, replacing an earlier request for a cultural venue. Hanns Gröninger and architect Otto Gühlk presented the winning design in June that year. The first show was Sean O’Casey’s Das Freudenfeuer on 15 December 1956. The venue hosts regular performances by the Ensemble-Theater and three other amateur troupes. Deutsche Schauspiel-Vereinigung, Hamburg Players and Volksspielbühne Thalia von 1879 e. V. keep the stage busy. Shanty choirs also give concerts here. Groups such as Arlecchino from Belgium and Trent Players from London have rented the space for their own productions. Inside, the main hall is joined by a smaller hall and foyer used for readings, puppet shows and film screenings. The foyer doubles as a gallery for paintings, photographs and works by artists like Julia Küchmeister and Mick Renaud. In 1975 a mouth-and-foot painting exhibition drew nearly 12,000 visitors in five weeks.