The Theaterhaus

In 2025 the Theaterhaus Stuttgart on the city’s Pragsattel ridge celebrates its fortieth anniversary and, according to a scholarly study carried out in 2010, “is still unique in the European cultural landscape”. It brings together under one roof different areas of the arts, the experimental and the popular, international artists and new projects.

Along with its own contemporary theatre and dance ensembles, comedy, cabaret, jazz and rock, new music, for which a specially designed building extension has been built, is also an integral part of the Theaterhaus program. The building complex also hosts political discussions, readings, lectures, exhibitions, and events for children and young people. In addition, there is also a sports centre that is used for a diverse range of activities. Another notable aspect of this institution is the fact that it finances two resident ensembles, even though approx. 65 percent of the annual costs for these companies must be earned by the Theaterhaus itself. The Theaterhaus dance ensemble is named after the company‘s artistic director, Eric Gauthier: Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart.

The success of the Theaterhaus concept can also be expressed in figures. With up to 300,000 visitors every year, the Theaterhaus is one the Stuttgart region’s major draw cards. Covering an area of 12,000 square meters, the building houses a concert hall, three theatres, a sports centre, rehearsal spaces and workshops as well as a two-storey foyer with food outlets, a large beer garden in the inner courtyard and a restaurant. An average of almost 900 performances and events take place here annually.

Not only has Theaterhaus a long tradition of producing and presenting dance theatre; best known are the collaborations between Marcia Haydée and Ismail Ivo. It has also traditionally been and continues to be, a venue for the free-lance dance scene in Stuttgart.