Tribüne

The Tribüne was a private theatre in Berlin’s Charlottenburg district, standing on Otto-Suhr-Allee near today’s Ernst-Reuter-Platz. It began in 1919 inside the former assembly hall of a girls’ grammar school designed in 1915 by architect Emilie Winkelmann. The building itself, known as the Ottilie-von-Hansemann-Haus, still gives the theatre its distinctive setting. The theatre earned a reputation early on for political expressionist drama. Its first season opened with Walter Hasenclever’s plays and soon hosted the premiere of Ernst Toller’s Die Wandlung, with Fritz Kortner in the lead. In the 1920s major actors such as Marlene Dietrich and Heinrich George appeared on its stage, while directors like Erwin Piscator shaped its programmes. After the Second World War Viktor de Kowa reopened the Tribüne with Hildegard Knef presenting a wartime variety show. Later generations saw stars including Horst Buchholz and Edith Hancke perform there. Inside, the main auditorium retains the proportions of the original school hall, seating around three hundred spectators. A smaller studio space called the blue room hosted readings, monologues and chamber music. The theatre’s façade once carried a distinctive entrance structure added in later years, though this was removed during building renovations. Its walls still echo the voices of Dadaists and post-war artists who once filled the space with debate and performance.