Sophiensaele

Today, the Sophiensæle is one of the most important locations for German-speaking independent art-production. Artists from Berlin, as well as the national and international theatre-scene are invited to produce and present their works here. They are selected on the basis of their artistic concepts, contents, and working schemes.

The Sophiensæle is home to cultural discourse and a vast mix of artistic genres – from theatre, dance and music, to performance and visual art - which complement each other and enjoy a productive dialogue. Alongside many young artists such as Rose Beermann, Henrike Iglesias, Lwowski/Kronfoth Musiktheaterkollektiv, Markus&Markus, Lea Moro or Quast&Knoblich, searching for new theatrical languages and forms of expression, a number of established artists and companies have longstanding partnerships with the Sophiensæle. These include choreographers such as Clément Layes, Lea Martini, Sebastian Matthias, Martin Nachbar, Jochen Roller, Naoko Tanaka and Christoph Winkler and directors such as Thorsten Lensing, Johannes Müller + Philine Rinnert or Milo Rau/IIPM, and among others performance groups such as Burmester + Feigl, Lovefuckers, Monster Truck, Schmidli + Haug, Social Muscle Club and Turbo Pascal.

The Sophiensæle belongs to a network of internationally oriented, independent theatres. Other members include Kampnagel Hamburg, Mousonturm Frankfurt/Main, FFT Düsseldorf, Theaterhaus Gessnerallee Zürich and brut Wien. Among others, the Sophiensæle are producer of Tanztage Berlin and Freischwimmer festival. Beyond that, a number of renowned festivals of Berlin take place here, amng others MaerzMusik and Tanz im August. Here is a place devoted to artists as much as the audience, where the face-to-face encounter between these groups is the essential goal.

The Sophiensæle’s architecture, walls and ceilings still reflect the site’s turbulent history and initial designation as a place for assembly, craftsman training and banquet. This special atmosphere creates unique conditions for artistic production and creative encounter. Through selected renovations in 2011, the work environment and convenience for artists and the audience have been considerably improved, while the traces of history within the building have been carefully preserved.