Theater Dortmund

Theater Dortmund is a theatrical organization in Dortmund, Germany, producing operas, musicals, ballets, plays, and concerts. Founded in 1904 as Stadttheater Dortmund, it operates several performance spaces with support from the German Government. In 2010, it was part of the RUHR.2010 program as a European Capital of Culture.

The original theater, designed by Martin Dülfer, opened in 1904 with Richard Wagner's *Tannhäuser*. It was damaged in a 1943 bombing and closed by the Nazi government in 1944. A second bombing in 1944 destroyed the building entirely.

In 1950, an interim theatre opened with Beethoven's *Fidelio*, led by Intendant P. Walter Jacob, who focused on Wagner operas and contemporary works. Notable premieres included Erich Wolfgang Korngold's *Die stumme Serenade* in 1954 and Franz Werfel's *Jacobowski und der Oberst* in 1955.

The Opernhaus Dortmund opened in 1966 with Richard Strauss's *Der Rosenkavalier*, conducted by Wilhelm Schüchter. It hosted operas, ballets, and concerts until the Konzerthaus Dortmund opened in 2002, becoming the orchestra's primary concert venue.

Since 1968, Schauspiel Dortmund has used the opera house as its main stage for plays, while smaller theaters handle experimental productions. In 2017, it won an award for cultural education for the project *Mirror Barricade* with Tools for Action.

The Konzerthaus Dortmund, led by Artistic Director Benedikt Stampa since 2005/06, has hosted notable performances, including Rebecca Saunders as composer-in-residence in 2005/06 and Cecilia Bartoli's 2010 performance of Bellini's *Norma*. It remains an independent institution, showcasing a wide range of musical and theatrical works.