Theaterkahn Dresdner Brettl gGmbH

In the location's words:

The theater on the Elbe

The THEATERKAHN is an independent theater in the heart of Dresden, between the Semperoper and the Frauenkirche, not far from the Zwinger and the castle. Its history goes back to 1988. Friedrich-Wilhelm Junge founded it at that time and built it up with like-minded people.

The fact that this theater with its 170 seats floats on a converted Zille on the banks of the Elbe is not the only special thing about it. Its repertoire is also unusual for an independent venue that is only subsidized to a small extent.

The play "Most Africans Can't Swim", which premiered on the barge in 2017, is about how the self-image of a liberal middle class is shaken by the deaths of thousands of refugees. The drama "Oleanna" deals with the phenomenon that power always corrupts its victims and in "Dieter and the Wolf", the fear of the wolf is revealed as a hidden fear of one's own hidden past. Cabaret programs such as "Backes Fest" and "Darf ich Ihnen mein Herz zu Füßen legen?" (May I lay my heart at your feet?) take the piss out of petty bourgeoisie and hypocrisy.

Matinee series such as ELBGESPRÄCHE and BRÜCHE deal with history and politics. Egon Krenz and Hans-Otto Bräutigam met there, Hans-Joachim Maaz and Wolfgang Berghofer reported on ruptures in their lives. This is an unusual profile for a private theater.

It works thanks to the high quality of the performers and authors. The floating stage features theater legends such as Peter Bause, Friedrich-Wilhelm Junge, Gunther Schoß and Wolfram Berger alongside actors and musicians renowned throughout Germany such as Anika Mauer, Ulla Meinecke, Sarah Kattih, Gundula Köster, Gustav Peter Wöhler and Jörg Schüttauf, to name but a few. Among the authors played are: Erich Kästner, Heiner Müller, David Mamet, Christa Wolf, Kurt Tucholsky, Georg Kreisler, Jordi Galceran, Prosper Mérimeé and Ödön von Horváth. Here, too, the series is incomplete. The youngest actress playing at the THEATERKAHN is 26 years old and the oldest actor is 82.

Michael Fuchs and his band guarantee exceptional musical quality right from the start.

On the back of the door to the stage is a larger-than-life portrait of Anton Chekhov. All artists performing on the Kahn have to look Chekhov in the face before their performance, as he once declared literature to be his wife and the theater to be his mistress.

* außer Feiertags
*Abendkasse 1h vor Vorstellungsbeginn