// Theatre and concert hall, Berlin
Opened in 1914 and rebuilt (following war damage) in 1954, influenced in the 20s by Erwin Piscator and in the 70s by Benno Besson, the Volksbühne on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz is today one of the most important theatres in all German-speaking countries. Under the direction of Frank Castorff and thanks to Christoff Gurk's decisive contribution to program content, the Volksbühne has since 2001 deservedly won its reputation as Berlin's top address for unusual and experimental music. Two main strands run through the clearly conceived program, namely, to showcase major protagonists of Berlin's own music scene, who in the Volksbühne are assured extraordinarily high-quality means of making themselves seen and heard; and to create an international, diverse program, characterised by a profound knowledge of Pop history, that puts today's avant-garde alongside major forerunners and influential solo players. Highlights in recent years included, amongst others, Throbbing Gristle, Current 93, Antony and the Johnsons, Isis, Sunn O))), Zeitkratzer Ensemble, Faust, Keiji Haino, Godspeed You Black Emperor, The Red Krayola, The Monks, Coil, Carsten Nicolai & RyuichI Sakamoto, Earth, Merzbow, Whitehouse, Aphex Twin and Narod Niki.
> www.volksbuehne-berlin.de
