Zimmertheater

Zimmertheater in Germany brings actors and audiences together across two intimate stages. The vaulted hall holds sixty-nine seats, while the smaller Zimmer has thirty-nine, placing each performance only steps from the front row.

Founded in 1958 by the free theatre group Thespiskarren, the venue has built its identity around experimentation. Productions combine music, video and spare sets, moving between contemporary works such as Prima Facie and reimagined classics including Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Literary evenings, poetry events and premieres by young authors also shape the programme, while directors including Peer Mia Ripberger and Thomas Bockelmann have guided its artistic direction. A former cinema can provide a larger setting when the small rooms are not enough.

Next door, Friedrich Hölderlin lived in his tower for more than thirty-six years, adding a literary landmark to this close-up theatre experience.