Schauspiel Frankfurt

The Schauspiel Frankfurt is the city’s municipal theatre company for plays, based in Frankfurt am Main. Its main stage is the Schauspielhaus on Willy-Brandt-Platz, a 689-seat venue rebuilt after the Second World War. Two smaller halls sit nearby: the Kammerspiele on Neue Mainzer Straße with 185 seats, and the Box on Willy-Brandt-Platz with 70 seats. A fourth space, the Bockenheimer Depot on Carlo-Schmid-Platz, seats 400 and hosts experimental productions. All four venues belong to the Städtische Bühnen Frankfurt organisation, which also runs the city’s opera company.

The theatre’s history reaches back to the late 1770s, when Abel Seyler established Frankfurt’s theatrical life. In 1782 the Comoedienhaus opened as the city’s first permanent theatre for plays and opera. The Schauspielhaus built in 1902 was destroyed in 1944, but after 1945 performances continued in the Börsensaal until the new house opened in 1963. Harry Buckwitz, the general manager, made Brecht’s plays central to the repertoire and staged the world premiere of Die Gesichte der Simone Machard in 1957.

Today a visitor finds a varied programme across the four stages. The Schauspielhaus presents classic and contemporary drama on its large stage. The Kammerspiele offers intimate, experimental performances in a smaller space. The Box provides a platform for emerging artists and new writing. The Bockenheimer Depot, a converted tram depot, hosts site-specific productions and interdisciplinary projects. Each venue contributes to Frankfurt’s lively theatre scene.