The Millowitsch Theater in Cologne

A culture shock - The Millowitsch Theater closes in Cologne - The era ends in the spring of 2019!

After 170 years of folk theater closes the Millowitsch Theater. It will continue to be used as a Volksbühne on Rudolfplatz, in the future without Millowitsch pieces, as Peter Millowitsch announced in December 2017.

At the beginning of 2015, the theater was named after extensive renovation "Volksbühne am Rudolfplatz" and is supported by the "Freie Volksbühne Köln". It is still the seat of Millowitsch Theater GmbH. The hall currently has 402 seats, 356 on the floor and 46 on the balcony. Peter Millowitsch uses it for half a year, while the other half of the year features comedy, cabaret and music performances.

The second half of the year

The Theatersaal uses the Cologne music scene such as Bläck Fööss, Kasalla, Miljö, Cat Ballou and Björn Heuser. Musically, performances by Ilja Richter, Katja Ebstein and Ulrich Tukur and Die Rhythmus Boys, or a musical with hits by Peter Alexander and concerts by YouTube musicians such as Lewis Watson, Gavin James and Orla Gartland to the musical revue of the life of the well-known Cologne composer Jacques Offenbach.

Current events

Contemporary theater productions inspired as "guilt and atonement" up to performances of the Kumede Theater of the home club Old Cologne. There are also talk formats like "Kölner Evenings - Verzällche un Musik" on the red sofa.

Cabaret and comedy start at the Cologne Comedy Festival as well as the Streithähne Festival (political cabaret). Complementing this is the "Altstadtkino" by Hermann Rheindorf, a documentary series with films in the old Cologne and readings with Hella von Sinnen and Cornelia Scheel. For the first time, lit.COLOGNE, the literature festival, was held in spring 2016 at the Volksbühne.

In 2018, until March 25, the current play "Who knows what et jot it" runs, a waver of Peter Millowitsch and Barbara Schöller. Peter Millowitsch , who has been the theater director since 1998, wants to "close the circle" with the last piece of farewell: His father Willy Millowitsch with classic "The Stage Hare" as " Anton "also on television great success.

Unfortunately, the removal of the Millowitsch Theater from television was a reason for the AUS. One of the reasons for the impending stop: The WDR stopped the transfers and "de-oiled" the TV program with it.

The story of the Millowitsch Theater

The Millowitsch Theater was opened on 16 October 1936. In 1940, Peter's son Willy Millowitsch took over the management. During the Second World War, the house was damaged only slightly, so could at the request of Konrad Adenauer (then Lord Mayor of Cologne) the game operation on 19 October 1945 recorded with "The lucky girl" a three-stroke. After Willy led the Millowitsch Theater together with his sister Lucy and celebrated with her on the stage until 1969 great successes.

On October 27, 1953, the play The Stage Hare by the Low German poet Karl Bunje was broadcast live on television as the first stage play. It was intended as a replacement for a sports broadcast that had failed and made Millowitsch Theater known throughout Germany. The crude comic Schwank as a theater form was henceforth the concept. In this genre over 100 more pieces came on the stage. Many of them became street sweepers such as Schneider Wibbel and Aunt Jutta from Calcutta, who achieved an audience rating of up to 88%, and Et fussig Julche, in which daughter Mariele Millowitsch performed for the first time.

For many years, crowd favorites were Elsa Scholten, the Cologne folk actress, who played since 1920, Franz Schneider since 1946 and Lotti Krekel since 1958, and Frank Barufski since 1959 and Walter Hoor. Non-theater-bound acted Bubi Scholz and Günter Lamprecht in "The Master Boxer" and Peter René Körner in "Aunt Jutta from Calcutta" and Eddi Arent in "The tired Theodor". Also Trude Herr played from 1948 in small roles at the Millowitsch Theater.

The "Schwänke" writes mainly Peter Millowitsch.

Willy Millowitsch

Willy came from an old actor family. Even his parents were actors like his aunt. Already as a child, he was more interested in his father's stage than in school. In 1922, Willy became an actor without a degree and took over the paternal stage in 1940. He often worked as a director and as a leading actor.

The Millowitsch Theater had daily performances from October 1945 to 1949. Willy and his sister Lucy led the house for many years and for decades they stood together on stage. They were considered the ideal cast for spirited couples.

In 1946, Willy married Gerda Feldhoff. Her four children Katarina and Peter, Susanne and Mariele inherited Susanne's interest in acting. Peter Millowitsch took over the Millowitsch Theater in 1998.

Modern technology in a historic venue

In the summer of 2015, the renovation, which is in keeping with the historic monuments, was used to gently polish the charm of Cologne's oldest theater building and the traditional cultural center. The focus of the work was above all the auditorium: The stylish belt arches promote the structure of the ceiling in the former ballroom. They take up the Art Nouveau architecture in the historic walls. Once the old chandelier dominated the middle of the room, today the discreet, new lighting technology brings an atmospheric atmosphere to the hall. Modern headlamps optimally illuminate the enlarged stage, which now offers more space and more comfort for the performing artists.

In addition to the completely renewed sound technology, the viewers especially enjoy the new air conditioning system and the artists and stage technicians use the improved playability in the foreground. A goods lift goes straight to the stage and makes the exchange of scenery and decorations easier.

The magnificent Art Nouveau building was first used as a movie theater. In 1966, the Verein Freie Volksbühne acquired the building, which has undergone a renaissance since 2015: The new use with cultural repertoire is more diverse and the careful modernization comes to full advantage in the direction of a first-class cultural address for the general public.

With the inductive hearing aid hearing-impaired persons can participate in the happening and since autumn 2017 events are translated into German sign language.

Conclusion

An era ends in the spring of 2019, who loves the Millowitsch Theater, can buy tickets to the Volksbühne and enjoy the last two "Schwänke" (jokes) live.