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Press Release December
2016
Grand Opening for Dresden State Operetta:
New Musicals in an Extraordinary New Building
Famous musicians and composers have flocked to Saxony's cultural capital of Dresden in in eastern Germany for centuries. Still today, you will discover world class orchestras, beautiful opera houses, and famous choirs while walking the same steps of the musical giants. Now, Dresden has added a new and contemporary jewel to its cultural crown expanding the city's musical spectrum: the State Operetta.
This December, Dresden residents celebrate the extraordinary new building and the relocating of their State Operetta in the Kraftwerk Mitte Dresden, a former power station, in the city center. A large theatrical complex was built on the foundations of the old power plant, and it ingeniously combines the landmarked brick architecture with a modern theater building. The Dresden State Operetta combined with the Theater Junge Generation company will share the space and host two opening premiers: the operetta by Jacques Offenbach, "Orpheus in the Underworld," on December 17th and the Bernstein musical, "Wonderful Town," on December 22nd. On December 30th, the State Operetta will host a festive gala to mark the official opening and celebrate the cultural experiences yet to come.
The Dresden State Operetta can look back on 240 years of musical theater history. After the bombing of Dresden in February 1945, the cultural center lay in ashes. But the thirst for cultural performances was very strong in Dresden, especially to distract from the horrors of war. In the district of Leuben, the "Fairies' Palace" ballroom was rebuilt into a theater stage using equipment saved from the remains of the destroyed "Central Theater" in the city center. On August 18, 1947, the "Apollo Theater" opened and on October 2, 1947 "The Funny Widow," premiered. This latter date is considered the birth of the State Operetta, the only company in Germany to fully concentrate on light opera and musical.
An immense diversity of music will be brought to the stage at the start of the New Year in January 2017. Regular performances will commence including new versions of premiers such as the operetta classics, "The Bat," "The Merry Widow," and "White Horse Inn." In addition to the operettas, musicals such as "Catch Me If You Can," and "La Cage aux Folles," and light operas such as, "Hansel and Gretel" and "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" will be performed. New productions will have their debuts at the Dresden State Operetta such as, "The Marriage of Figaro" on March 13, 2017 and the musical "Zzaun!" on October 28, 2017. Audiences can expect concerts, guest performances and more in this exciting premier year. The diversity of productions every evening is only possible because of an exceptional ensemble with a skilled orchestra and specialized soloists. Additionally, the ensemble is unique because the choir can also dance and the dancers can also sing allowing for immense flexibility.
The company itself had a major influence on the cultural investment of the new State Operetta location. This venture was made possible by the selfless civic commitment of the state operetta members. The ensemble sacrificed considerable parts of their wages from 2009-2021 to contribute approximately 13 million Euros to their future place of work. The people of the theater have in this way, to a large extent, also become the building owners, which is almost as sensational as Dresden getting a new theater.
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| For a PDF Version of this document, please click here. For further information, please contact Victoria Larson
USA Press Representative, Saxony Tourism Victoria@vklarsoncommunications.com 917-678-7689 www.saxonytourism.com |
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