RAISING THE CURTAIN ON GREAT THEATRE
The Tyrolean State Theatre welcomes theatre fans evening after evening, raising its curtains on everything from great classics to contemporary works. As the largest cultural institution in western Austria, the establishment unites musical theatre, theatrical productions and dance. The theatre, which hosts around 600 performances per theatre year, combines high artistic standards with a varied repertoire and is a core part of Innsbruck's rich cultural scene.
DIVERSE VENUES
The Tyrolean State Theatre: The auditorium in the magnificent, time-honoured "Große Haus" building, is the centrepiece of the theatre, featuring red upholstered seats, majestic chandeliers and richly decorated boxes and galleries. The auditorium can seat 750 people and has standing room for an additional 30. The iron curtain is adorned with a 110 m² painting by the Tyrolean artist Max Weiler.
The Kammerspiele, which can accommodate 213 people, is located in Innsbruck's Haus der Musik (House of Music) and features outstanding stage technology, variable stage floors, an orchestra pit, a revolving stage and a fly loft. Both venues offer sophisticated theatrical productions, highbrow operas and captivating dance theatre: equal importance is placed on bringing old masterpieces back to life and the development and staging of new pieces and operas.
The [K2], on the other hand, is dedicated to more current works, acting as an open space for new aesthetic styles, contemporary forms of expression and innovative formats. As an independently playable black box, the [K2] is increasingly used as an individual platform for children's theatre and youth pieces. The flexible space makes it possible to perform in all directions and can accommodate up to 60 spectators.
High-profile symphony concerts and masters' concerts can be enjoyed in the 1,500-seat "Saal Tirol" hall at Congress Innsbruck and a wide variety of concerts and events are held in the large and small halls (the "Großer Saal" and the "Kleiner Saal") at Innsbruck's Haus der Musik (House of Music), which seat 508 and 99 people respectively.
CENTURIES OF HISTORY
The Tyrolean State Theatre has a history that stretches back over 400 years. Innsbruck was home to an opera house in the 17th century, making it one of the first in the German-speaking world. Archduke Ferdinand Karl had the new opera house built opposite the Imperial Palace in 1653, based on the Venetian model. He commissioned the court architect Christoph Gumpp for this project, who had already built the "Comediehaus" theatre on Rennplatz square where the Congress building stands today. The opera house opened just one year later with Pietro Antonio Cesti's opera La Cleopatra.
In 1765, the emperor's son Leopold celebrated his wedding to the Spanish princess Maria Ludovica in Innsbruck – renovation of the dilapidated theatre had begun a year earlier. After attending a theatre performance on 18 August, the wedding celebrations came to a tragic end due to the unexpected passing of Emperor Franz. Despite thorough renovation work in 1815, the "k. k. Hof- und Nationaltheater" (the Imperial National Theatre) was demolished in 1844 and rebuilt in neoclassical style over the next two years by the Italian architect Giuseppe Segusini. Between 1961 and 1967 the building, now known as the "Tiroler Landestheater" (Tyrolean State Theatre) since the end of the Second World War, was extensively modernised. In 2003, a rehearsal stage was added.
THE TIROL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INNSBRUCK
The musicians of the Tirol Symphony Orchestra Innsbruck, based in Innsbruck's Haus der Musik (House of Music), whisk you away to extraordinary new worlds of sound. The TSOI was founded in 1893. As the orchestra of the Tyrolean State Theatre, the TSOI plays in all of the theatre's musical theatre performances, from operas to musicals. Numerous concerts, which include eight symphony concerts, also make up an integral part of the annual concert programme.
