Loading...
Jump to content

State capital Stuttgart

Cultural diversity

Theater

The cultural city of Stuttgart is characterized by a particularly high density of theaters. Each of them has its own distinctive profile. Stuttgart is not only home to Europe’s largest three-division house, but also to traditional houses, small theaters and independent venues that enrich Stuttgart’s theater scene.

Premiere of “Der Menschenfeind” at Schauspiel Stuttgart.

Theater City Stuttgart: A Success Story

Avant-garde and classical, dialect and spoken theater, traditional and experimental, institutional and free - there is a common thread running through the success story of Stuttgart’s theater scene: Diversity. The tension between the different forms of expression in the performing arts constantly fires up Stuttgart’s cultural landscape with new impulses. The importance of a diverse and vibrant theater scene for the city and its external impact is also emphasized by the creative work and targeted  funding measures of the cultural administration.

Curtain up: drama, opera, cabaret and puppet theater

With the state theaters, six large private theaters and about 20 smaller theaters, theatergoers in Stuttgart have more than 50 stages at their disposal. The Stuttgart State Theaters are home to three distinctive divisions: the Stuttgart Ballet, the Stuttgart Opera, and the Stuttgart Schauspiel. The Old Playhouse impresses with its Art Nouveau ambience and a program of classics and current plays. Those who prefer boulevard theater will be entertained at the Komödie im Marquardt.

Stuttgart’s oldest cabaret stage is also entertaining: The Renitenztheater is one of Germany’s leading stages and offers the entire range of the genre, from comedy to political cabaret.

The puppet theater scene is a unique selling point of Stuttgart in the German cultural landscape. The basis for this is formed by resident theaters such as the FITZ! Zentrum für Figurentheater, the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst (University of Music and Performing Arts) with its “Puppet Theater” course, as well as a vital and interdisciplinary independent scene.

Change of scene: independent scene, theater festivals and theater award

Stuttgart’s independent theater scene is already active in all genres. It stands for new and experimental approaches in a mostly immediate atmosphere and is specifically supported in its existence and development by the cultural office. Smaller theaters are also known for their love of experimentation, such as the Junge Ensemble Stuttgart, which is outstanding in German-speaking countries, or the Theater Rampe, which stands for diverse performance art. And those who enjoy the dazzling world of musical theater and vaudeville will get their money’s worth at the Stage Apollo Theater and the Friedrichsbau Varieté Theater.

The  theater festivals in Stuttgart are a real crowd puller. These events offer a broad audience the opportunity to get to know local and foreign ensembles and programs. The supra-regional Stuttgart Dance and Theater Prize  6 tage frei. is organized by the city of Stuttgart and the state of Baden-Württemberg and awarded as part of a six-day festival at the Theater Rampe.

Clear the stage: Theater in Stuttgart

Stuttgart’s best-known venues are presented here. An overview of theaters in Stuttgart is provided by the  Culture Finder. And registered current theater performances can be found, among other things, in the  calendar of events of the city of Stuttgart.

Selected institutions of the Stuttgart theater scene

You might also be interested in

Explanations and information

Picture credits

  • David Baltzer/Schauspiel Stuttgart
  • Christophe Raynaud de Lage/FITZ
  • Alexandra Klein/Friedrichsbau Varieté Stuttgart
  • Carl Postelmann/Free Dance and Theater Scene gUG
  • Alex Wunsch/JES
  • Sabine Haymann/Renitenztheater Stuttgart
  • Martin Sigmund/theaters in Stuttgart
  • Thomas Aurin/Schauspiel Stuttgart
  • Matthias Baus/Staatsoper Stuttgart
  • Max Kovalenko
  • Dominique Brewing/Theater Rampe
  • Laura Kifferle/Theater tri-bühne
  • Simon Wachter/Theaterhaus Stuttgart
  • LHS Stuttgart - Photographer Phi Dang
  • FTTS / Dominique Brewing
  • Stuttgart Marketing