Friedrichsbau

Friedrichsbau is a theatre in Stuttgart’s city centre. The first building opened in 1898 as an Art Nouveau structure with an 800-seat hall on the first floor. It was destroyed in the 1944 air raid and rebuilt in 1955 before being demolished for road widening. A new Friedrichsbau appeared in 1993, housing offices, shops and the theatre until 2014. The site sits where Friedrichstraße was widened, close to Stuttgart’s main station. The theatre became famous in the 1920s and 1930s for international stars such as Grock, Josephine Baker and Charlie Rivel. Martin Klein led the opening season, followed by Ludwig Grauaug until 1901. After rebuilding in the early 1930s, Emil Neidhard took charge and Willy Reichert, with Oscar Heiler, created the Swabian characters Häberle and Pfleiderer. The new Varieté opened in 1994 with 369 seats under Gabriele Frenzel and Bernhard Paul. Today the Friedrichsbau Theatre is a non-profit company run by Gabriele Frenzel and Timo Steinhauer. Since 2014 it has staged up to four in-house productions each year alongside guest performances. Over 1.9 million visitors have attended 6,605 shows featuring cabaret, comedy, artistry, burlesque and magic. The programme continues the tradition of lively, varied entertainment in the heart of Stuttgart.