Theater am Turm

The Theater am Turm (Theatre at the tower), styled TAT, was a theatre in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. Founded in 1956, it became a municipal theatre in 1995 and was closed in 2004.

Early venue: the former Volksbildungsheim, 1963 to 1995

Last venue: Bockenheimer Depot, 1995 to 2004

History

A theatre was founded in 1953, named Landesbühne Rhein-Main (State theatre Rhein-Main), by the Frankfurter Bund für Volksbildung, an association for adult education. Among the managers of the early period was the director and actor Georg Aufenanger.^[1]

TAT

The theatre was later named Theater am Turm, alluding to the Eschenheimer Turm, part of the historic city fortification. The theatre played from 1963 to 1995 at the former Volksbildungsheim [de] at the Eschenheimer Tor.

Claus Peymann was Intendant from 1965 to 1969. He directed in 1966, as part of the experimenta I, the world premiere of Handke's Publikumsbeschimpfung (Offending the Audience). In the following years, the TAT was close to the student movement and the fight against the German Emergency Acts. In 1969 a Mitbestimmungstheater [de] model was established, and the program featured not only drama but also discussions and lectures in Marxism. Rainer Werner Fassbinder was Intendant of the TAT in den 1970s for eight months. The performance of his 1974 play Der Müll, die Stadt und der Tod《de []], dealing with the Frankfurter Häuserkampf [de], was cancelled after protests against antisemitic stereotypes, which made Fassbinder leave. Rosa von Praunheim directed at the TAT a satiric show, Internationale Schlagerparade, with Tally Brown, a New York underground artist, and the German singer Evelyn Künneke, one of the last productions before the theatre closed in 1978.

1980s

The TAT was rebuilt and opened again in 1980 with a new concept. It had no ensemble but offered a stage for free experimental groups and international performers such as the dance company of Vivienne Newport. From 1986, inspired by dramaturge Tom Stromberg [de], the theatre showed again more house productions.

Bockenheimer Depot

In 1995 the TAT moved to a new location of the Frankfurt municipal theatres, the Bockenheimer Depot,^[2] because the former venue was rebuilt as a cinema, Metropolis. It is Located next to the Bockenheimer Warte [de] tower, leaving the name fitting. At the time, the TAT became part of the Städtische Bühnen Frankfurt. It was close to being closed several times because of reduced financial support from the city. In May 2004, it was closed for financial reasons.^[2]