Schauspiel Essen

The Grillo-Theater in Essen is one of the oldest theatres in the Ruhr area. It owes its name to the industrialist Friedrich Grillo, who had a significant influence on the economic development of the region and also strongly committed to cultural issues. In 1887, he promised his hometown a generous donation for the construction of a theatre, but died before the contract was even signed. His widow, Wilhelmine Grillo, fulfilled the promise, donated the land and covered most of the construction costs. The Grillo-Theater, built in a neo-baroque style, opened in 1892 with Lessing's Minna von Barnhelm. Due to rapid population growth after the turn of the century, the theatre quickly became too small for opera, dance and drama, so that in the 1920s, the spoken theatre was given its own venue on Hindenburgstraße.

During the Nazi era, the theatre came under political pressure and was severely damaged in the Second World War. In 1950, it was reopened after being rebuilt in a neoclassical style; though the desire for a separate opera house was not fulfilled until 1988 with the construction of the Aalto Theatre. In the 1950s and 1960s, Essen's stages regained national recognition and importance under the artistic direction of Dr Erich Schumacher and chief dramaturge Dr Ilka Boll. After facing closure due to structural shortcomings, the building underwent extensive renovation at the end of the 1980s and reopened in 1990 as a modern theatre with reduced seating capacity.