Everyman at Staatstheater Cottbus: Musical theater full of power and the search for meaning

Event: Everyman - A Musical About Learning to Die in Hof der Alvensleben-Kaserne (Staatstheater Cottbus) on 28. June 2026

Date and Time

28. June 2026 19:30

Location

Hof Der Alvensleben-Kaserne
Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 36, 03046 Cottbus, Deutschland

Price

35,90

About this Event

TheaterConcerts

Mood

Other

Venue Type

Outside

A grand theater evening under the open sky: Everyman in Cottbus

When the courtyard of the Alvensleben Barracks transforms into a stage of realization, the German theater classic gains new urgency. With Everyman - A Musical About Learning to Die, the Staatstheater Cottbus brings Hugo von Hofmannsthal's work into a contemporary musical adaptation that seeks closeness instead of distance, presence instead of monument.

A classic that meets the present

The Cottbus production of musical theater hits the core of the material: A rich man is confronted with finitude, with the void behind possession, power, and illusion. Peter Lund and Wolfgang Böhmer shift the moral parable into a linguistically and musically immediate present. This is precisely where the power of this stage experience lies: The Everyman material appears not as a museum piece, but vibrantly current.

Music, dramaturgy, and emotional depth

Hofmannsthal's original, premiered in 1911 and since 1920 closely associated with the Salzburg Festival, is one of the great mystery plays of the German-speaking theater history. The musical version condenses this tradition into an evening between the search for meaning and societal portrait. The audience experiences not just a mere retelling but a musically charged engagement with faith, love, transience, and self-examination. The dramaturgy relies on contrasts: vibrant life against silent abyss, festivity against existential cold, rhythm against standstill.

Open-air theater with a special atmosphere

The courtyard of the Alvensleben Barracks creates its own theater atmosphere for this purpose. The historical location opens the space upwards, light and evening air become part of the performance, and the audience's reaction blends with the sound of the scene into an immediate summer experience. According to the official announcement, the performance lasts about 2 hours and 10 minutes including an intermission. The venue is suitable for wheelchairs, and an induction loop is available.

An evening for theater lovers and the curious

This production is aimed at everyone who wants to experience musical theater as a living form: literarily grounded, sonorous, visually powerful, and without false reverence for the classic. Those seeking theater as a mirror of the present will find here an evening full of tension, presence, and intellectual depth. Everyman - A Musical About Learning to Die promises moving open-air theater with great stage artistry and a material that has not lost its power to this day.

Conclusion: In Cottbus, a century-old work meets musical present and an impressive open-air backdrop. Anyone enthusiastic about sophisticated musical theater and strong literary materials should experience this evening live.

Official channels of Staatstheater Cottbus:

Sources:

Loading map...

Frequently Asked Questions

Book Tickets