Theater an der Wien

While the wealthy (Viennese) society was able to meet its need for theater at the two court theaters (National Theater and Kärntnerthor Theater ) in the 18th century, the less well-off classes relied on performances from traveling theaters (often based on sensations ) until the late 18th century in the suburbs.Before 1800, there were a few permanent theaters in the suburbs, but they were mainly short-lived.The Imperial and Royal Theater in der Leopoldstadt (1781), the Theater in der Josephstadt (1788), and the Theater a der Wien (1801) were the only suburban theaters that remained.

The nearby Freihaustheater, which opened in 1787 as a temporary solution, was financially depleted in 1799 when Emanuel Schikaneder, lyricist for The Magic Flute and director of the theater since 1792, sold the Freihaustheater to theater-loving businessman Bartholomäus Zitterbarth (1751-1806) on March 1, 1799 for 63,266 Gulden resigned.Zitterbarth had already invested 130,000 guilders on the site, hoping that the purchase would grant him the same privilege that Schikaneder enjoyed in 1786 when he built a new theater.This, however, was a failure.Both Zitterbarth and Schikaneder were Freemasons, and in 1799 Zitterbarth purchased the site, while Schikaneder sought for and got the building permission for the intended theater from Emperor Franz II on April 3, 1800.

After only thirteen months of construction, the building opened on June 13, 1801 in the Empire style, where the Papagenotor (by Pest sculptor Jacob Schroth ) the Erbauer as Papageno with his younger siblings in the heroic-comic opera Das Labyrinth (1798, sequel to The Magic Flute ).[note 1] Ludwig van Beethoven stayed in a back wing of the theater building between 1803 and 1804 while creating his opera Leonore.

The kk privileged Schauspielhaus a der Wien was the only Viennese theater to receive the special honor of being one of the newlyweds during the festivities for Emperor Franz II’s marriage to Maria Ludovika Beatrix von Modena on the 6th of the previous month and to host a performance to be attended by their family on January 9, 1808.The opera Armide, with music by Christoph Willibald Gluck, was staged in the mansion, which had been significantly altered for the occasion.

The owner and director of the theater in der Josefstadt, Franz Pokorny (1797-1850), who was known for his generosity, also purchased and took over administration of the Theater a Wien in May 1845 (to be reopened at the end of August 1845 as physically and stage-technically converted).Pokorny’s (legally sanctioned) renaming of the house to National-Theater a der Wien matched to popular opinion in the revolutionary year of 1848.The name change was finalized on April 13, 1848, with the 13th performance of Roderich Benedix’s ‘Das bemooste Haupt or Der lange Israel.’ It also had the effect of keeping the imperial court away from the theater and, in 1849, totally separating itself from the house by ending the lodge.With the engagement of major names like Jenny Lind and Giacomo Meyerbeer, Pokorny had overstretched himself financially in those years.Regular performances were no longer possible in 1848, and on September 1 of that year, Pokorny sacked the whole opera staff.After Franz Pokorny died on August 5, 1850, his son Alois Pokorny (1825-1883) took over as director of the National Theater a der Wien.This was the financial situation of the theater as early as 1852.It was broken that due payments were rarely paid.This remained the case in the years that followed.In April 1860, Pokorny rented the stage for a fee to Matteo Salvi (1816-1887), an Italian singing instructor who, despite the disapproval of the “entire audience,” was soon chosen director of the Court Opera Theater.During the 1861-1862 ball season, Pokorny’s brother, Captain Anton Pokorny, who was serving as sequestrator, planned to boost the theater box office by organizing balls, but poor management due to an accident at the first event drove the crowd away.The home was shuttered till further notice at the end of March 1862.Alois Pokorny’s bankruptcy petition was accepted by the court in May 1862, and his management of the home came to an end.

Following performances of works from all theater genres, including farces by Nestroy and other representatives of the old Viennese folk theater, the “Goldene Operettenzeit” began with works by Johann Strauss and Carl Millöcker, and was followed by the “Silver” with Franz Lehár as the most well-known representative.During this time, the house, which had been closed for five months, was managed by Friedrich Strampfer, who had been working at the theater in Timisoara until then, then by Marie Geistinger and Maximilian Steiner until 1875, then by Steiner alone until his death in 1880, and then by his son Franz Steiner.Alexandrine von Schönerer took over the management of the house in 1884, often in collaboration with Camillo Walzel and Franz Jauner.From 1902 through 1911, the theater was managed by Wilhelm Karczag and Karl Mathias Wallner, with Remigius Geyling designing the programming.

Following WWII, the home first functioned as temporary housing for the ensemble of the bombed-out Vienna State Opera.Legendary Mozart opera performances took occurred here under the direction of Karl Böhm and Josef Krips, some of which are also preserved on sound carriers.

The City of Vienna purchased the theater from the previous owners, the Marischka family, in 1960 with the intention of using it as a festival hall for the Vienna Festival and guest performances.

Since 1962, the Theater a der Wien has also been a venue for the annual Wiener Festwochen and, for a few years, the Klangbogen.The Nestroy Awards were held at the theater in 2000 and 2007.

The Theater a der Wien, along with the Raimund Theater and the Ronacher, comprise the United Stages of Vienna.