Privat-Theater-Gesellschaft Thalia

History

The foundation of the Berlin based theatre society is unclear. It might have happened in 1796, other sources indicate an earlier date of 1790. From 1801 the society gave theatre performance in the frame of the social club Familien-Ressource in their premises in Blumenstraße. In 1820 the Familien-Ressource split up and the theatre society from then on was active under the name of Privat-Theater-Gesellschaft Thalia. In 1890 they celebrated their 100 anniversary. Source do not fully confirm whether these two theatre societies by the name of Thalia (founded in 1796, resp. in 1790) were identical. The Privat-Theater-Gesellschaft Thalia was probably dissolved in May 1945.

Members

At its foundation in 1796 Thalia had 14 members, all of them apprentice craftsmen from the working fields of butchery, gardening, silk weaving, trimming, candle making, wigs making, sculpting, carpentry, book printing.

Repertoire

In 1798, the theatre society performed the following pieces:

Johann Rautenstrauch: Der Jurist und Bauer
August von Kotzebue: Der Mann von vierzig Jahren
August von Kotzebue: Menschenhaß und Reue
August von Kotzebue: Die Verläumder
Johann Gottfried Hagemeister: Das große Loos
Anton Wall: Die beiden Billets
Johann Friedrich Jünger: Der Strich durch die Rechnung
Le Chanoine de Milan, adapted by Johann Gottlob Feind: Die ungebetenen Gäste
Friedrich Wilhelm Gotter: Der schwarze Mann
August Wilhelm Iffland: Die Reise nach der Stadt
August Wilhelm Iffland: Die Mündel
August Wilhelm Iffland: Die Jäger

Sources

Uta Motschmann, Handbuch der Berliner Vereine und Gesellschaften 1786-1815, Berlin: de Gruyter, 2015, 543-544.
Weil, Rudolf: Das Berliner Theaterpublikum unter A. W. Ifflands Direktion(1796 bis 1814), Berlin 1931.
Fest-Zeitung zum 100jährigen Stiftungsfest der Privat-Theater-Gesellschaft „Thalia“ 1790–1890, Berlin, den 11. October 1890, Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin, Inv.-Nr.V-70/689.
„Ueber die hiesigen Privattheater.“ In: National-Zeitschrift für Wissenschaft, Kunst und Gewerbe in den preußischen Staaten, 1801, 922–932.