Theater im Rathaus

The Theatre in the Town Hall is a private theatre in Essen, opened in 1991 on the ground floor of the city hall built in 1979. It started as a studio stage for the Grillo Theatre before becoming an independent venue. Inge Meysel inaugurated the theatre with a production of Jean Bouchard’s play Teures Glück. The theatre’s repertoire spans boulevard comedies, crime plays, operettas, musicals and classical drama. New works have premiered here, including Folker Bohnet’s comedy Ein Goldjunge für Emily and Tilmann von Blomberg and Bärbel Arenz’s musical Weiblich, 45plus, na und!?! Regular performers have included Brigitte Grothum, Viola Wedekind, Jacques Breuer and Thomas Glup, who has his stage home there. Inge Meysel and Charles Regnier are honorary members of the theatre. The auditorium seats 265 people and hosts guided tours and backstage visits for members of the supporting association founded in 2012. The city recognises the theatre’s importance to Essen’s cultural life and continues to assess possible funding.