Regular performances by travelling theatre groups in Dresden are documented back into the 16th century. On occasions they also played for the Saxon court, though it was opera which dominated here. In the 18th century, Caroline Neuber, the "mother of German theatre", worked in Dresden. In the first half of the 19th century, the State Theatre founded in 1814 was the determining factor in the City's theatre scene, with directors such as Ludwig Tieck and Karl Gutzkow. Further highlights in Dresden's theatre History were the performances of works by contemporary dramatists such as Ibsen, Strindberg, Wilde and Schnitzler around 1900. Bourgeois theatre companies, for example the Neustadt Alberttheater, added extra colour to the programmes.
Dresden's theatres all lay in ruins at the end of the Second World War. Nevertheless, the first performances were put on already in July 1945, and the rebuilt Schauspielhaus theatre was opened again in 1948. In the meantime it has advanced to become one of the country's leading stages. In the most recent years, its committed discussion of social realities was particularly important for cultural life in Dresden.
From the courtly stages in the immediate vicinity of the royal palace, via the many temporary venues in the surroundings of the City, to the self-confident bourgeois theatre buildings - Dresden can look back over a long tradition with the most varied venues. New stages have been added in recent years and visitors can now choose between 13 drama stages and theatres, an opera house and a theatre for operetta. During the summer months, more unusual venues, from the courtyard of the Zwinger to the Pillnitz Palace park, present theatre performances with a quite unique atmosphere.
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