Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz

The largest spoken theater in West Berlin has resided since 1981 in a listed building by Erich Mendelsohn on Kurfürstendamm in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. The Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz stands for politically engaged contemporary theater of world-class standard, with an ensemble that alternates between stage and cinema screen.

Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz: Theater with World Renown

The Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz is the largest spoken theater in West Berlin. However, the house is far more than just a local address for theater enthusiasts. The Schaubühne is one of Germany’s most famous theaters, its productions tour annually with over a hundred performances around the world. So, anyone spending an evening here is literally sitting at the center of international theater discourse.

The building was erected in 1928 by Erich Mendelsohn as part of the WOGA complex in the New Objectivity style and was originally used as the “Universum” cinema. The distinctive circular building on Kurfürstendamm was then Berlin’s largest cinema. The special feature of the interior lies in its extreme flexibility: the conventional separation between stage and auditorium can be removed, allowing directors diverse and unconventional spatial concepts.

Repertoire between Classical and Contemporary Drama

The politically and socially engaged repertoire is shaped by a variety of directorial signatures. In addition to Thomas Ostermeier, who has been the artistic director of the Schaubühne since 1999, Milo Rau, Falk Richter, and Marius von Mayenburg define the program, while the Schaubühne continually offers a platform to important international directors. The focus of the productions is on storytelling, both classical and contemporary, and on the ensemble, which includes film stars such as Lars Eidinger, Mark Waschke, Jörg Hartmann, and Ursina Lardi.

Per season, the Schaubühne premieres approximately ten new productions, alongside a rotating repertoire of over thirty productions. Additionally, there are up to 100 performances on international guest tours and the Festival Internationale Neue Dramatik (FIND). The 2024/2025 season concluded with the Schaubühne achieving almost 99 percent occupancy across approximately 500 events in Berlin. Furthermore, up to three productions from the extensive repertoire can be seen daily, regularly with English and French surtitles.