The Landesbühnen Sachsen in Radebeul continue to tour throughout the Free State as a traveling theater company. “A state theater for Saxony, and all of us working together for a theater that brings people together,” is how Artistic Director Manuel Schöbel summed it up during the presentation of the new season. At over 30 venues, the company’s 240-plus employees will help bring culture to life. “In the process, tradition meets modernity, classical drama meets contemporary dance, puppetry meets musicals, emotions meet numbers, and, of course, technology meets art, and craftsmanship meets administration.” Schöbel announced 23 premieres for the new season. In addition to classics such as Bertolt Brecht’s “The Caucasian Chalk Circle,” Puccini’s opera “Tosca,” and Jacques Offenbach’s “La Belle Hélène,” the program features several fairy tales for children and the whole family, as well as three dance theater productions. In musical theater, there are two world premieres—the children’s opera “Rico, Oskar, and the Deep Shadows” by Eva Kuhn and the commissioned work “Tenochtitlan” by Ludger Vollmer, which will be performed on the same evening alongside Mauricio Kagel’s “Mare Nostrum.” The goal is not only to keep the barrier to theater low, but to eliminate it entirely, said Schöbel. A slightly modified motto from the Musketeers, who will be in action throughout the season, was chosen as the season’s theme: “One for all and all for one.” In addition to the main venue in Radebeul and the Felsenbühne Rathen, performance venues include the German-Sorbian People’s Theater in Bautzen, the King Albert Theater in Bad Elster, the Meissen Theater, the Kulturfabrik Hoyerswerda, and Moritzburg Castle. Theater is also being performed in classrooms. Artemis Willms, Commercial Director of the Landesbühnen, addressed the severe damage to the Rathen Rock Theater caused by a storm in early August. One person was killed and two others were seriously injured. Willms acknowledged that the timing of the accident was fortunate. The gust of wind swept across the forest by Lake Amsel before the performance began; very few people had made their way to the Felsenbühne at that point and were therefore not injured. According to Willms, cleanup efforts in Rathen are not yet complete. “It looks a bit barer now than before, but nature will recover there.” Since then, the Landesbühnen have been using venues in Dresden as alternative performance sites. Next year, however, everything is expected to return to normal. Artistic Director Schöbel announced two new productions at the Felsenbühne: “Tom Sawyer,” based on the book of the same name by Mark Twain, and “The Three Musketeers” as a musical. In the program for the new season, Minister President Michael Kretschmer (CDU) also shares his thoughts: “The Landesbühnen Sachsen has accumulated a seemingly inexhaustible wealth of experience in bringing distinctive venues to life as well as in imbuing initially unremarkable locations with the highest theatrical splendor.” Just as carefully as the company handles the “spirit of the venues,” it appeals to all generations with appropriate plays and age-appropriate productions. “The ensemble is as open to venues and audiences as it is undogmatic in its approach to plays and interpretations.” Audience numbers have remained fairly stable, Schöbel said. Last season, the Landesbühnen staged 820 performances, including 225 at its main venue. The total of just over 185,500 audience members is slightly higher than the figure from the previous season. Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved23 Premieres in the New Season
The barrier to theater should remain low
The Rathen Rock Theater is expected to be ready for performances again in 2027
Kretschmer: Landesbühnen Delivers the Finest in Theater
Audience Numbers Up Slightly
