Volkstheater Millowitsch
Encyclopedia
The Volkstheater Millowitsch, also known as the Millowitsch-Theater, is a medium-sized theatre
in Cologne
, Germany
where popular, low-brow comedies
are enacted.
and the ensuing inflation, Peter Millowitsch
was forced to abandon the family’s old theatre and tour Cologne
and the surrounding area, until in 1936 they finally moved in to the new theatre on Aachener Straße.
In 1940 Willy Millowitsch
took charge of the theatre. During World War II
it was damaged, but not too severely, so on September 16, 1945 the theatre was reopened. In the time from 1945–1949 there were daily performances in the theatre, but afterwards the attendance dropped and Millowitsch
had to rent out the theatre sometimes. Fortunately, the building doubled as a cinema
, so he could still make money with it.
The first live broadcast of a theatrical performance with real audience in German television took place in this theatre. On October 27, 1953 Willy Millowitsch
’s Kölsch dialect play Der Etappenhas was broadcast on the Western regional channel WDR. It was immensely successful and just six weeks later was broadcast again, live, from the Millowitsch-Theater. Over the course of the years, over 100 performances from the Volkstheater Millowitsch were shown on television.
The television plays spawned interest in theatre and the audiences gradually grew and by the 1960s a steady flow of people were teaming in to see Millowitsch’s plays firsthand. He renovated the building in 1967 and the Volkstheater once again became a focal point of local culture. Changing his original concept, Millowitsch
turned the theatre from a house just for plays into a venue for local performances of all kinds. Many young dialect artists started their careers there, including the now famous singing groups Bläck Föss and De Höhner.
In 1998 only few month before Willy Millowitsch
’s death in 1999, his son Peter Millowitsch
took over the running of the establishment.
, just by the tram
line. It is a medium-sized theatre that can seat up to 383 people. Ticket prices usually range from € 19 - € 24.
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
where popular, low-brow comedies
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
are enacted.
History
The Millowitsch family had been active in theatre before ownership of this building with a tradition dating back to 1792. With the onset of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and the ensuing inflation, Peter Millowitsch
Peter Millowitsch
Peter Millowitsch is a German film and television actor. He is the director of the Volkstheater Millowitsch which he took over in 1999 following the death of his father Willy Millowitsch...
was forced to abandon the family’s old theatre and tour Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
and the surrounding area, until in 1936 they finally moved in to the new theatre on Aachener Straße.
In 1940 Willy Millowitsch
Willy Millowitsch
Willy Millowitsch was a German stage and TV actor and the director of the Volkstheater Millowitsch in Cologne.-Early life:...
took charge of the theatre. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was damaged, but not too severely, so on September 16, 1945 the theatre was reopened. In the time from 1945–1949 there were daily performances in the theatre, but afterwards the attendance dropped and Millowitsch
Willy Millowitsch
Willy Millowitsch was a German stage and TV actor and the director of the Volkstheater Millowitsch in Cologne.-Early life:...
had to rent out the theatre sometimes. Fortunately, the building doubled as a cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
, so he could still make money with it.
The first live broadcast of a theatrical performance with real audience in German television took place in this theatre. On October 27, 1953 Willy Millowitsch
Willy Millowitsch
Willy Millowitsch was a German stage and TV actor and the director of the Volkstheater Millowitsch in Cologne.-Early life:...
’s Kölsch dialect play Der Etappenhas was broadcast on the Western regional channel WDR. It was immensely successful and just six weeks later was broadcast again, live, from the Millowitsch-Theater. Over the course of the years, over 100 performances from the Volkstheater Millowitsch were shown on television.
The television plays spawned interest in theatre and the audiences gradually grew and by the 1960s a steady flow of people were teaming in to see Millowitsch’s plays firsthand. He renovated the building in 1967 and the Volkstheater once again became a focal point of local culture. Changing his original concept, Millowitsch
Willy Millowitsch
Willy Millowitsch was a German stage and TV actor and the director of the Volkstheater Millowitsch in Cologne.-Early life:...
turned the theatre from a house just for plays into a venue for local performances of all kinds. Many young dialect artists started their careers there, including the now famous singing groups Bläck Föss and De Höhner.
In 1998 only few month before Willy Millowitsch
Willy Millowitsch
Willy Millowitsch was a German stage and TV actor and the director of the Volkstheater Millowitsch in Cologne.-Early life:...
’s death in 1999, his son Peter Millowitsch
Peter Millowitsch
Peter Millowitsch is a German film and television actor. He is the director of the Volkstheater Millowitsch which he took over in 1999 following the death of his father Willy Millowitsch...
took over the running of the establishment.
Location
The Millowitsch-Theater is located on Aachener Straße 5, near the Hahnentor and Rudolfplatz in the centre of CologneCologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, just by the tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
line. It is a medium-sized theatre that can seat up to 383 people. Ticket prices usually range from € 19 - € 24.