BERLIN EXHIBITION

At the Schiller Theater, the temporary home of the Komödie am Kurfürstendamm, the renowned entertainment theatre shines in all its glory throughout Germany. The venerable traditional theatre, originally founded by Max Reinhardt on Kurfürstendamm in 1924 and continuously managed by the Woelffer family since 1950, has proven to be one of the most outstanding addresses for sophisticated and metropolitan theatre entertainment. This theatre steeped in history not only stages comedies and boulevard plays, but also shows, concerts and, during the festive season, special plays for the youngest theatre lovers. The first-class programme, consisting of German premieres of international works and stage adaptations of film classics and comedy legends, has made the Komödie am Kurfürstendamm a second home for many renowned film and television actors. Greats such as Katharina Thalbach, Tanja Wedhorn, Oliver Mommsen, Herbert Herrmann, Nora von Collande, Jochen Busse, Dominic Raacke, Katja Weitzenböck and many others regularly make their artistic mark here. Not only actors, but also well-known musicians and entertainers such as Ulrich Tukur with his Rhythmus Boys or Gayle Tufts ensure a varied programme at the Komödie am Kurfürstendamm. The move from the main theatre on Kurfürstendamm to the transitional quarters in the Schiller Theater on Bismarckstraße opens a new chapter in the theatre's 90-year history. Despite crises, expropriations and even destruction, the various directors always remained true to the "comedy" genre - even when more serious plays were occasionally on the programme. Jürgen Wölffer, former director, who handed over the management of the Kudamm-Bühnen to his son Martin in summer 2004, emphasises: "For us, comedy has many facets. We enjoy reinterpreting classics while at the same time premiering modern entertainment theatre. We are proud that many international comedies have their German premiere on our stages." Martin Wölffer has carefully modernised the repertoire and won new audiences for boulevard theatre with productions such as "Männerhort", "Wer hat Angst vor Virginia Woolf?", "Wie es euch gefällt", "Gut gegen Nordwind", "Die 39 Stufen" and "Ziemlich beste Freunde". In addition to the Berlin theatre, the Wölffer family also runs the Winterhuder Fährhaus comedy theatre in Hamburg. The theatre plays produced in Berlin also go on tour through Germany, Austria and Switzerland, helping to strengthen the cultural reputation of the city of Berlin.