Theater am Potsdamer Platz
Renzo Piano's Theater am Potsdamer Platz opened in 1999, seats 1,754 guests, and has been home to Cirque du Soleil's first permanent European show since 2025. Behind the 35-meter-high glass facade lies the grand staircase, and every year during the Berlinale, the venue transforms into the Berlinale Palast, the main screening location for the film festival.
Renzo Piano’s Glass Facade on Marlene-Dietrich-Platz
The Theater am Potsdamer Platz is located on Marlene-Dietrich-Platz in Tiergarten, on a site where the Berlin Wall once ran and which lay fallow for a long time afterwards. Directly next door is the Spielbank Berlin from 2000, and all around extends the shopping and gastronomy quarter with restaurants such as VOX, Bistro Mitte, and FACIL on Potsdamer Straße. The Kulturforum and Philharmonie Süd stops right outside show how close the Kulturforum and Philharmonie are; Potsdamer Platz station, with S-Bahn, U2, and regional transport, is about 400 meters away. The shell was completed on October 2, 1998, and it opened on June 5, 1999. Renzo Piano and his Building Workshop, together with Christoph Kohlbecker, designed the building, with structural engineering by Boll und Partner. The gross floor area is 15,000 square meters, and construction costs were 108 million Deutschmarks. The defining feature is the 35-meter-high glass facade, behind which the grand staircase remains visible from the outside, and inside, an eight by 18-meter video wall with three film projectors.
From Musicals to Cirque du Soleil’s First Permanent European Show
The program history reads like a chronicle of German musicals: The Hunchback of Notre Dame ran until 2002, followed by the European premiere of the Blue Man Group in 2004, Cats, Beauty and the Beast, Mamma Mia, Dirty Dancing, and from 2011 to 2016 Hinterm Horizont. Since 2000, the Theater am Potsdamer Platz has also transformed into the Berlinale Palast during the Berlinale, making it the festival’s main venue. In 2025, its profile changed fundamentally: Cirque du Soleil had the venue extensively renovated for its first permanent show in Europe. An immersive production is performed, combining acrobatics with the so-called Magie Nouvelle and merging the classic auditorium with the performance; it lasts a good two hours, including an intermission, and over 500,000 tickets have been sold for it by September 2026. The hall seats 1,754 guests, tickets start at 59.90 Euros, and children under 16 pay 20 percent less. The show is recommended for ages three and up; it is not suitable for children up to two years old. Additionally, a club for stand-up comedy and live formats has found its home in the basement.
Top10 Redaktion
Erfahrungsbericht vom 29.10.2026
Price Level
Tickets for the current show start at 59.90 Euros. An open bar package costs 24.90 Euros per person; with finger food, it's 39.90 Euros.
Discounts
Children under 16 receive a 20 percent discount. A Meet and Greet costs an additional 34.90 Euros for adults and 9.90 Euros for children, each only with a regular show ticket.
Groups and Schools
For ten people or more, an individual offer is available. School classes pay 39.90 Euros per student; for every 15 children, one accompanying person is free.
Seats
1,754 seats. The auditorium has been extensively renovated for the ongoing resident show.
The Building
Shell completed on October 2, 1998, opening on June 5, 1999. Designed by Renzo Piano and his Building Workshop together with Christoph Kohlbecker, gross floor area 15,000 square meters, construction costs 108 million Deutschmarks.
Architecture
The defining feature is the 35-meter-high glass facade, behind which the grand staircase remains visible from the outside. Inside, there is an eight by 18-meter video wall with three film projectors.
Current Production
An immersive Cirque du Soleil production that combines acrobatics with the so-called Magie Nouvelle. It is the venue's first permanent show in Europe, lasting approximately two hours and five minutes, including a 25-minute intermission.
History of the Venue
The Hunchback of Notre Dame ran until 2002, followed by the European premiere of the Blue Man Group, Cats, Beauty and the Beast, Mamma Mia, Dirty Dancing, and from 2011 to 2016 Hinterm Horizont.
Berlinale Palast
Since 2000, the venue transforms into the Berlinale Palast during the Berlinale, thus becoming the main screening location for the film festival.
Accessibility
The theater is only partially accessible. Wheelchair spaces and accessible restrooms are located on the second floor and can be reached via an accessible path. Wheelchair and companion tickets cannot be booked online, only by phone or via the contact form.
Food and Drink and Cloakroom
Snacks and drinks at bars in the foyer and on multiple levels, payment by card only. The cloakroom in the theater foyer costs 3 Euros per jacket. Bags up to DIN A4 size may be taken in, but backpacks and umbrellas must be checked.
Transport and Contact
Potsdamer Platz station with S1, S2, S25, S26, U2, and regional transport is approximately 400 meters away. The Kulturforum and Philharmonie Süd bus stops with lines M48, M85, 200, M41, and 300 are about 200 meters away. Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 1, 10785 Berlin.
Opening Hours
- Mo, Wed + Thu: 19:00
- Fri: 20:00
- Sat: 15:30 + 20:00
