Marionettentheater Kleines Spiel

History

In the 1930s young Peter Auzinger started together with other children performing puppet theatre under the name of "Münchener Marionettenbühne", later "Marionetten-Kammerspiel München", in private spaces of friends and family. Ca. 15 young puppet player continued to perform until 1939. After the war, Peter Auzinger brought together again a group of friends, meanwhile all students, to re-start their amateur theatre activities. In an improvised theatre space in Georgenstraße they first performed Lope de Vega's "Die schlaue Susanne" in August 1945. Encouraged by the great success of their private performance, they decided to engage in establishing their own theatre studio.

Kleines Spiel was the first theatre in Munich that received in April 1946 a license from the American Military Government with the permission to renovate a badly damaged apartment in Ainmillerstraße. Tragically, during renovation Peter Auzinger fell victim to an accident on site and died at the age of 25. The group, struck by the loss, pulled themselves together and continued in the spirit of Auzinger. They finally opened the new premises with 72 seats, a proscenium stage, foyer and workshop in February 1947.

In 1952 the theatre company moved to the University Riding Hall, Königinstr. 34, where they again created a theatre auditorium for 72 spectators, a workshop and storage space. Kleines Spiel has performed here for four years before moving to their final location at Neureuther Str. 12, still today the theatre's home.

Tankred Dorst, a young student how later became one of Germany's most prominent dramatist of the period, joined the puppet theatre amateurs in 1951. He remained active there for 13 years. During this time, many of his early pieces were written for and performed at Kleines Spiel. His writings on the marionette theatre as an art form and dramatic genre also date back to this period.

Not untypical for amateur theatre after a climax of activity, Kleines Spiel had a production crisis during the 1970s, but was able to come back to full performances in the 1980s. Today the amateur company regularly performs every second Thursday, with the exception of school holidays and a long summer break. All of their shows are for free, donations are welcome.

Kleines Spiel became firmly established in the Munich cultural landscape. The theatre company received a number of awards and prizes:

1965: Schwabinger Ehrenpreis
1971: Förderungspreis für interpretierende Kunst der Landeshauptstadt München
2004: Schwabinger Kunstpreis
2018: Larifari-Preis, Verband Bayerischer Amateur-Theater

Repertoire

Lope de Vega: "Die schlaue Susanne"
Carlo Goldoni: "Der Lügner"
Tankred Dorst: "A Trumpet for Nap"
Tankred Dorst: "Maipus Versuchung"
Trankred Dorst: "Die Geschichte von Aucassin und Nicolette"
Tankred Dorst: "Eugen. Eine merkwürdige Geschichte"
Tankred Dorst: "Felis Caligatus"
Ben Johnson: "Volpone"
Carlos Larra u. Eugène Ionesco: "Schnöde Idyllen"
Christoph Buggert: "Ikarus"
Bertolt Brecht: "Mann ist Mann"
Bertolt Brecht: "Der gute Mensch von Sezchuan"
Albert Maly-Motta u. Peter Cornelius: "Das kleine Zwischenspiel"
Michael Ende: "Momo"
Jean Anouilh: "Cécile oder Die Schule der Väter"