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Bernhard-Theater Zürich

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Bellevueplatz ("Bellevue Square", from the French bellevue , meaning "beautiful sight") is a town square in Zurich , Switzerland built in 1856. Named after the former Grandhotel Bellevue on its north side, it is one of the nodal points for roads and public transportation in Zurich, as well as an extension of the quaysides in Zurich that were built between 1881 and 1887. It is part of the Altstadt district (Kreis 1).

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64-713: The Bernhard-Theater Zürich or Bernhard Theater is a theatre in German-speaking Switzerland situated at Sechseläutenplatz in Zürich. It is part of the building complex Opernhaus Zürich and also houses the Restaurant Belcanto . The theater was founded by and named after Rudolf Bernhard in 1941. The Bernhard-Theater is an entertainment theater that housed in its early years guest performances and productions (spoken theater and music theater), initially having an own ensemble to establish

128-719: A new workplace for the entertainment theater in Zürich . Rudolf Bernhard , a Swiss actor and comedian, founded at the former "Grand Café Esplanade" (built by J. Pfister Picault in 1925) the Rudolf-Bernhard-Theater which premierred on 19/20 December 1941. The ensemle performed farces and comedies in the Swiss German language. The ensemble comprised among others Ernst Bölsterli, Walburga Gmür, Bernard's wife Lisa Lienbach, Peter W. Staub and Willi Stettner; as guests appeared Heinrich Gretler , Emil Hegetschweiler, Alfred Rasser , Schaggi Streuli and Fredy Scheim. From

192-564: A darkened theater, sound effects, and seating arrangements (lowering the orchestra pit ) which focused the attention of audience on the stage, completely immersing them in the imaginary world of the music drama. These concepts were revolutionary at the time, but they have since come to be taken for granted in the modern operatic environment as well as many other types of theatrical endeavors. Contemporary theaters are often non-traditional, such as very adaptable spaces, or theaters where audience and performers are not separated. A major example of this

256-448: A hanamichi stage with her entourage. The stage is used not only as a walkway or path to get to and from the main stage, but important scenes are also played on the stage. Kabuki stages and theaters have steadily become more technologically sophisticated, and innovations including revolving stages and trap doors were introduced during the 18th century. A driving force has been the desire to manifest one frequent theme of kabuki theater, that of

320-425: A high-ceilinged interior. Within the large temple has a stage inside which is a large platform with its own pyramid roof. The stage area is separate from the audience area with the musician (a drummer on a high seat) behind the stage, and dressing rooms also at the rear with exit doors behind. The audience would be seated on a smooth, polished floor. Several Koothambalams exist within several Indian temples, and follow

384-546: A naturally occurring site. The auditorium (literally "place for hearing" in Latin) was the area in which people gathered, and was sometimes constructed on a small hill or slope in which stacked seating could be easily made in the tradition of the Greek Theatres. The central part of the auditorium was hollowed out of a hill or slope, while the outer radian seats required structural support and solid retaining walls. This

448-417: A production, often called a black box theater , due to the common practice of the walls being painted black and hung with black drapes. Usually in a building used specifically for performance there are offstage spaces used by the performers and crew. This is where props , sets , and scenery are stored, and the performers standby before their entrance. These offstage spaces are called wings on either side of

512-439: A proscenium stage. A prompter's box may be found backstage. In an amphitheater, an area behind the stage may be designated for such uses while a blackbox theater may have spaces outside of the actual theater designated for such uses. Often a theater will incorporate other spaces intended for the performers and other personnel. A booth facing the stage may be incorporated into the house where lighting and sound personnel may view

576-448: A theater. They may range from open-air amphitheaters to ornate, cathedral -like structures to simple, undecorated rooms or black box theaters . A thrust stage as well as an arena stage are just a few more examples of the multitude of stages where plays can occur. A theatre used for opera performances is called an opera house . A theater is not required for performance (as in environmental theater or street theater ), this article

640-427: A tradition called "stage dooring" that some fans participate in, in which fans wait outside of the stage door after the show in hopes of getting an autograph from the actors. The acting or performance space is the stage. In some theaters, such as proscenium theaters , arena theaters and amphitheaters, this area is permanent part of the structure. In some theaters the stage area can be changed and adapted specifically to

704-456: A transposition, the recurrence of the pediment with the later solidified stone scene. In front of the skene there may have been a raised acting area called the proskenion , the ancestor of the modern proscenium stage. It is believed that the actors (as opposed to the chorus) acted entirely on the proskenion , but this is not certain. Rising from the circle of the orchestra was the audience. The audience sat on tiers of benches built up on

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768-490: A vertical dimension. The Indian Koothambalam temple is a space used to perform Sanskrit drama . Called the koothambalam or kuttampalam, it is a large high-caste rectangular, temple in Kerala which represented a “visual sacrifice” to any deities or gods of the temple. They were built for kutiyattam or “combined acting” performances, which only two dramas are performed today. The temple has a pyramidal roof, with high walls, and

832-405: Is about structures used specifically for performance. Some theaters may have a fixed acting area (in most theaters this is known as the stage ), while some theaters, such as black box theaters have movable seating allowing the production to create a performance area suitable for the production. A theater building or structure contains spaces for an event or performance to take place, usually called

896-472: Is associated with the performers and their actions. The stage is made entirely of unfinished hinoki , a Japanese cypress, with almost no decorative elements. The poet and novelist Toson Shimazaki writes that "on the stage of the Noh theater there are no sets that change with each piece. Neither is there a curtain. There is only a simple panel ( kagami-ita ) with a painting of a green pine tree . This creates

960-404: Is considered symbolic and treated with reverence both by the performers and the audience. The stage includes a large square platform, devoid of walls or curtains on three sides, and traditionally with a painting of a pine tree at the back. The platform is elevated above the place where the audience sits, which is covered in white gravel soil. The four stage corners are marked by cedar pillars, and

1024-574: Is often referred to by locals as "das Bellevue" ("the Bellevue"), and is now one of the most important transport hubs in the city, for public transport as well as road traffic. Like the Bürkliplatz square on the opposite side of the Quaibrücke, Bellevueplatz is used for Sechseläuten and other public festivals, so traffic operations have to be stopped several times each year. Bellevueplatz

1088-679: Is the modular theater, notably the Walt Disney Modular Theater . This large theater has floors and walls divided into small movable sections, with the floor sections on adjustable pneumatric piston, so that the space may be adjusted into any configuration for each individual play. As new styles of theater performance have evolved, so has the desire to improve or recreate performance venues. This applies equally to artistic and presentation techniques, such as stage lighting . Specific designs of contemporary live theaters include proscenium , thrust , black box theater , theater in

1152-536: The Edinburgh Fringe has seen performances in an taxi . The traditional stage used in Noh theater is based on a Chinese pattern. It is completely open, providing a shared experience between the performers and the audience throughout the play. Without any prosceniums or curtains to obstruct the view, the audience sees each actor at moments even before entering the primary platform of the stage. The theater itself

1216-529: The Elizabethan era in England , theaters were constructed of wooden framing, infilled with wattle and daub and roofed with thatch . Mostly the theaters were entirely open air. They consisted of several floors of covered galleries surrounding a courtyard which was open to the elements. A large portion of the audience would stand in the yard, directly in front of the stage. This layout is said to derive from

1280-576: The Linth and Jona . Zurich–Enge Alpenquai is located on the Lake Zurich lakeshore in Enge , a locality of the municipality of Zurich. It was neighbored by similar settlements at Kleiner Hafner and Grosser Hafner on what was then a peninsula in the effluence of the lake, within an area of about 0.2 km (0.077 sq mi) within the present city of Zurich. The settlement sites are listed on

1344-532: The city fortification , and was originally surrounded almost entirely by the water of Lake Zurich. The bulwark comprised casemates with loopholes and a platform for artillery to defend against attackers on the lake. It complemented the Bauschänzli bastion on the western side of the Limmat, and the medieval Grendeltor , a river gate and customs station that stood on the site of Haus Bellevue . Around 1700, after

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1408-432: The orchestra was a large rectangular building called the skene (meaning "tent" or "hut"). [1] It was used as a "backstage" area where actors could change their costumes and masks, but also served to represent the location of the plays, which were usually set in front of a palace or house. Typically, there were two or three doors in the skene that led out onto orchestra, and from which actors could enter and exit. At first,

1472-462: The orchestra , the skene , and the audience. The centerpiece of the theater was the orchestra , or "dancing place", a large circular or rectangular area. The orchestra was the site of the choral performances, the religious rites, and, possibly, the acting. An altar was located in the middle of the orchestra; in Athens, the altar was dedicated to Dionysus , the god of wine and the theater. Behind

1536-508: The skene was literally a tent or hut, put up for the religious festival and taken down when it was finished. Later, the skene became a permanent stone structure. These structures were sometimes painted to serve as backdrops, hence the English word scenery . A temple nearby, especially on the right side of the scene, is almost always part of the Greek theater complex, which could justify, as

1600-400: The stage , and also spaces for the audience, theater staff, performers and crew before and after the event. There are usually two main entrances of a theater building. One is at the front, used by the audience, and leads into a foyer and ticketing. The second is called the stage door, and it is accessible from backstage. This is where the cast and crew enter and exit the theater, and there is

1664-619: The Limmat. In the historic tram stop building, there are two snack bars and a kiosk, a ZüriWC public toilet, and a ticket counter of the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund (ZVV) public transportation company. Located on what was once swampland between the Limmat and Lake Zurich, prehistoric pile dwellings around Lake Zurich were discovered dating to the Neolithic and Bronze Age. They were built on small islands and peninsulas and set on piles to protect against occasional flooding by

1728-514: The Opernhaus. The building complex Opernhaus-Bernhardtheater also houses the Restaurant Belcanto . Since August 2004, when the former management also failed, the premises are hired out for various occasions, but the past years the label Bernhard-Theater Zürich again has been increased used for theater guest performances. For that reason, Hanna Scheuring , a Swiss actress known for her roles as cast of Fascht e Familie and Lüthi und Blanc ,

1792-738: The Rathaus and Hochschulen quarters . The square was not used in the classical sense as a public square for recreation until the adjoining Sechseläutenplatz was rebuilt in 2013 for public use. In addition to the Sechseläutenplatz and quaysides, there is also Café Odeon , where writers and the Zurich Bohème would meet, the Kronenhalle and Sternen Grill restaurants, and the Limmatquai and other attractions downstream along

1856-678: The UNESCO World Heritage Site Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps , and in the Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance as a Class object . From 1558 to 1562 the round Auf Dorf bastion with battlements was built at the site of the present Bellevueplatz at the junction of Limmatquai and Rämistrasse. Structurally, it was connected to the Langenöhrlisturm of

1920-498: The arrangement we see most frequently today, with a stage separated from the audience by a proscenium arch. This coincided with a growing interest in scenic elements painted in perspective, such as those created by Inigo Jones , Nicola Sabbatini and the Galli da Bibiena family . The perspective of these elements could only be viewed properly from the center back of the auditorium, in the so-called "duke's chair." The higher one's status,

1984-475: The changing needs of the audience. These include, for example, productions such as "Cabaret" on occasion of the theater's 75th anniversary in December 2016. The new own productions are also successful, particularly the so-called "Bernhard-Matinee" those discussions are moderated by Moritz Leuenberger . This is a revival of the "Bernhard-Apéro", and Leuenberger is according to Scheuring the perfect host. As well as

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2048-417: The city of London. Around this time, the green room , a place for actors to wait until required on stage, became common terminology in English theaters. The Globe has now been rebuilt as a fully working and producing theater near its original site (largely thanks to the efforts of film director Sam Wanamaker ) to give modern audiences an idea of the environment for which Shakespeare and other playwrights of

2112-611: The closer they would be seated to this vantage point, and the more the accurately they would be able to see the perspective elements. The first enclosed theaters were court theaters, open only to the sovereigns and the nobility. The first opera house open to the public was the Teatro San Cassiano (1637) in Venice. The Italian opera houses were the model for the subsequent theaters throughout Europe. Richard Wagner placed great importance on "mood setting" elements, such as

2176-513: The construction of embankments, the bulwark lost its original function. Equipped with a solid roof, the area served as a salt house. Until 1795 the construction of a new seawall was carried out, and at the Kohlepörtli gate, goods were transhipped between Lake Zurich and Limmat. Remains from the c. 1830 demolition were discovered on occasion of road works in March 2015. First mentioned in 1863,

2240-503: The death of Bernhard in 1962 his widow handed over the management of the theater to the brothers Eynar and Vincent Grabowsky, resulting in a gradual diversification of the board: for one thing established Swiss German language (dialect) comedies and revues and dialect adaptations of farces (among others by Jörg Schneider) starring Paul Bühlmann , Jörg Schneider, and "Bernhard-Littéraire". Inigo Gallo , Ursula Schäppi , Ruedi Walter , Margrit Rainer , Ines Torelli , Erich Vock and others. On

2304-604: The end of July 2000. Vincent Grabowsky was replaced by his sister Bernadette Czerwenka-Grabowsky at the end of 1998, and after failed restructuring proceedings in January 1999, the Bernhard-Theater AG went bankrupt. Supported by Czerwenka-Grabowsky, a collecting society of the former Grabowsky squad people failed in July 2000. For the season 2000/01 the board elected a new director, but finally he also failed to establish

2368-487: The festival for which they were erected concluded. This practice was due to a moratorium on permanent theatre structures that lasted until 55 BC when the Theatre of Pompey was built with the addition of a temple to avoid the law. Some Roman theatres show signs of never having been completed in the first place. Inside Rome, few theatres have survived the centuries following their construction, providing little evidence about

2432-419: The impression that anything that could provide any shading has been banished. To break such monotony and make something happen is no easy thing." Another unique feature of the stage is the hashigakari , a narrow bridge at upstage right used by actors to enter the stage. Hashigakari means "suspension bridge", signifying something aerial that connects two separate worlds on a same level. The bridge symbolizes

2496-633: The late 1940s, at the beginning of the season, the ensemble went on tour in Switzerland, while the parent company held guest performances. In 1961/63 it also housed the Zürcher Märchenbühne which annually produces a fairy tale for children during the winter months, starring among others Vincenzo Biagi, Paul Bühlmann , Inigo Gallo , Walter Andreas Müller , Bella Neri, Margrit Rainer , Jörg Schneider, Peter W. Staub, Schaggi Streuli , Ines Torelli , Erich Vock and Ruedi Walter . After

2560-542: The management failed again. Among other stage actors, Trudi Roth who was popular as Martha Aebersold in the Swiss comedy serial Fascht e Familie , starred in about a dozen plays, musicals and farces on Bernhard-Theater between 1965 and 2001. Jörg Schneider (1935–2015), a popular Swiss stage and film actor ( Lüthi und Blanc , Usfahrt Oerlike ) and comedian starring usually in Swiss German language productions,

2624-535: The mythic nature of Noh plays in which otherworldly ghosts and spirits frequently appear. In contrast, hanamichi in Kabuki theaters is literally a path ( michi ) that connects two spaces in a single world, thus has a completely different significance. The Japanese kabuki stage features a projection called a hanamichi (花道; literally, flower path), a walkway which extends into the audience and via which dramatic entrances and exits are made. Okuni also performed on

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2688-725: The new labelled "Komödie am Bellevue " as a comedy house for upscale boulevard productions , due to financial difficulties by the end of July 2002. The presidential department ( Präsidialdepartement ) of the city of Zürich and the Opernhaus parent company elected two new managing directors and an artistic advisory panel for the 2003/04 season as a new beginning . It focused to a younger audience with productions, guest performances and new event formats ( shows with celebrity presenters ), but also successful Bernhard productions ( Bernhard-Littéraire ) and farces and comedies of Hans Gmür and Charles Lewinsky starring popular actors like Vock and Walter Andreas Müller . Despite considerable public success,

2752-438: The other hand, the theater also played in-house productions or guest performances, musicals and operettas, and contrived chanson evenings, drag shows, as well as farces and boulevard theater with popular actors ( Willy Millowitsch , Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff , Horst Tappert ) from Germany, and also children's and youth plays. In addition, Eynar Grabowsky initiated numerous thematic series like "Bernhard-Apéro" The Bernhard Theater

2816-453: The performance and audience spaces. The facility usually is organized to provide support areas for performers, the technical crew and the audience members, as well as the stage where the performance takes place. There are as many types of theaters as there are types of performance. Theaters may be built specifically for certain types of productions, they may serve for more general performance needs or they may be adapted or converted for use as

2880-809: The period were writing. During the Renaissance , the first modern enclosed theaters were constructed in Italy. Their structure was similar to that of ancient theaters, with a cavea and an architectural scenery, representing a city street. The oldest surviving examples of this style are the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza (1580) and the Teatro all'antica in Sabbioneta (1590). At the beginning of 17th century theaters had moved indoors and began to resemble

2944-415: The plays and productions by Erich Vock attract a wide audience. The interior of the theater has been unchanged, especially the tables where drinks are served, now is supplemented by a bar called "Bar Café Bernhard". Theater (structure) A theater , or playhouse , is a structure where theatrical works, performing arts , and musical concerts are presented. The theater building serves to define

3008-513: The practice of holding plays in the yard of an inn. Archaeological excavations of The Rose theater at London's Bankside , built 1587, have shown that it had en external diameter of 72 feet (22 metres). The nearby Globe Theatre (1599) was larger, at 100 feet (30 metres). Other evidence for the round shape is a line in Shakespeare's Henry V which calls the building "this wooden O ", and several rough woodcut illustrations of

3072-459: The round , amphitheater , and arena . In the classical Indian dance , Natya Shastra defines three stage types. In Australia and New Zealand a small and simple theater, particularly one contained within a larger venue, is called a theatrette . The word originated in 1920s London, for a small-scale music venue. Theatrical performances can also take place in venues adapted from other purposes, such as train carriages. For instance, in recent years

3136-423: The sale of tickets, consummations by the visitors and guest performances. In December 1995 Eynar Grabowsky committed suicide and the company was indebted with several millions Swiss Francs. As a result, following lengthy disputes between director, the various boards of directors and other stakeholders, the theater's rental agreement was terminated by the Opernhaus company, initially at the end of 1998 and compounded to

3200-583: The same rectangular plan and structure. Bellevueplatz Bellevue is situated next to the much larger Sechseläutenplatz (Sechseläuten Square) to the south of Bellevue. To the west is the Quaibrücke (Quay Bridge), which runs over the outflow of Lake Zurich into the Limmat , making it the southernmost bridge over the Limmat. To the north is the Limmatquai , a street running along the riverbank. To

3264-418: The show and run their respective instruments. Other rooms in the building may be used for dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms, spaces for constructing sets, props and costumes , as well as storage. All theaters provide a space for an audience. In a fixed seating theatre the audience is often separated from the performers by the proscenium arch. In proscenium theaters and amphitheaters , the proscenium arch, like

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3328-473: The side of a hill. Greek theaters, then, could only be built on hills that were correctly shaped. A typical theater was enormous, able to seat around 15,000 viewers. Greek theaters were not enclosed; the audience could see each other and the surrounding countryside as well as the actors and chorus. The Romans copied the Greek style of building, but tended not to be so concerned about the location, being prepared to build walls and terraces instead of looking for

3392-459: The south is Utoquai , a lakefront quay. The square is bound by Theaterstrasse to the east, Rämistrasse to north, and Schoeckstrasse to the south. The square is about 200 metres (660 ft) north-west of the Stadelhofen railway station . The square is one of the nodal points of Zurich tram lines 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, and 15, as well the regional bus lines 912 and 916, being the border between

3456-435: The specific theatres. Arausio , the theatre in modern-day Orange, France , is a good example of a classic Roman theatre, with an indented scaenae frons , reminiscent of Western Roman theatre designs, however missing the more ornamental structure. The Arausio is still standing today and, with its amazing structural acoustics and having had its seating reconstructed, can be seen to be a marvel of Roman architecture. During

3520-486: The square was named after the hotel Bellevue, which was built at Limmatquai 1 in 1856. In mid-October 1937, Hermann Herter's design for the Bellevue-Rondell, to replace an old station concourse, was under construction at the square. While the heavy iron canopy was being raised, a hoist broke and a worker fell to the ground with the structure. There were no injuries. Despite the official name, Bellevueplatz, it

3584-536: The stage, is a permanent feature of the structure. This area is known as the auditorium or the house. The seating areas can include some or all of the following: Greek theater buildings were called a theatron ('seeing place'). The theaters were large, open-air structures constructed on the slopes of hills. The most famous open-air greek theater was the Globe Theater where many of Shakespeare's plays were performed. They consisted of three principal elements:

3648-459: The sudden, dramatic revelation or transformation. A number of stage tricks, including actors' rapid appearance and disappearance, employ these innovations. The term keren (外連), often translated playing to the gallery , is sometimes used as a catch-all for these tricks. Hanamichi and several innovations including revolving stage, seri and chunori have all contributed to kabuki play. Hanamichi creates depth and both seri and chunori provide

3712-442: The whole is topped by a roof, even when the Noh stage is erected indoors. A ceramic jar system under the stage amplifies the sounds of dancing during the performance. There is a small door to permit entry of the musicians and vocalists. The independent roof is one of the most recognizable characteristic of the Noh stage. Supported by four columns, the roof symbolizes the sanctity of the stage, with its architectural design derived from

3776-447: The worship pavilion ( haiden ) or sacred dance pavilion ( kaguraden ) of Shinto shrines. The roof also unifies the theater space and defines the stage as an architectural entity. The pillars supporting the roof are named shitebashira (principal character's pillar), metsukebashira (gazing pillar), wakibashira (secondary character's pillar), and fuebashira (flute pillar), clockwise from upstage right respectively. Each pillar

3840-618: Was appointed as the new director of the operations of the Bernhard Theater in October 2014, and she revitalized the so-called Bernhard-Apéro events. Scheuring, for example, modernized the Volkstheater program with performances by stand-up comedians from Germany and Switzerland, who have a monthly guest appearances. In this way, she tried to preserve the tradition of folk theater, but also to further develop it and adapt it to

3904-407: Was of course not always the case as Romans tended to build their theatres regardless of the availability of hillsides. All theatres built within the city of Rome were completely man-made without the use of earthworks. The auditorium was not roofed; rather, awnings ( vela ) could be pulled overhead to provide shelter from rain or sunlight. Some Roman theatres, constructed of wood, were torn down after

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3968-407: Was one of the most prominent members of the ensemble who also worked as a playwright for the theater's Swiss German language productions. The theater houses a proscenium stage (5,4 x 7,1m/8.4,m x 3.9m) with a multi-level rising auditorium that haves a seating capacity of about 400 spectators. The large hall can also be rented for events, conferences, openings etc. Tickets are sold on the box office of

4032-585: Was organized as an Aktiengesellschaft according to Swiss law in 1978. In May 1981 the Esplanade building was demolished, and the present building opened on 27/28 December 1984 after three years of transition in the Kaufleuten building nearby Schanzengraben respectively the Old Botanical Garden . The theater received no subsidies by the municipal government, and funded primarily through

4096-550: Was renovated between March and 25 October 2015, with minor corrections in November 2015, during which the tram lines were redirected from June to mid-August. The edges of the tram tracks are designed to not cause obstruction, and the tracks at Rämistrasse between Café Odeon and Quaibrücke were rearranged and separated from bicycle lanes. As part of the road renewal works, the pedestrian crossings from Bellevue to Utoquai and from Sechseläutenplatz to Utoquai have been provided with

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