Staatstheater Mainz presents a diverse lineup of theatrical performances that transport audiences through a world of creativity and storytelling. From the legendary Rudi Carrell's life journey and Greek mythology's most beautiful woman to the whimsical adventures of a little witch, each show offers a unique artistic experience. As the stage brings to life tales from the past, present, and imagined futures, audiences are invited to connect with stories that resonate across cultures and time. Dive into an exploration of captivating narratives, intricate characters, and unforgettable performances.

From Stage to Myth: A Journey Through Staatstheater Mainz's Captivating Performances

The Staatstheater Mainz presents an enthralling lineup of plays and musicals, each unraveling intriguing narratives and showcasing the talents of diverse performers. From Rudi Carrell's ironic reflection on showmanship to the whimsical world of 'The Neverending Story', these performances promise rich storytelling and unforgettable experiences. Through these events, audiences are invited to explore cultural and historical themes, while enjoying the artistry of both classic and contemporary productions.

Diverse Dramas and Captivating Performances: A Journey Through German Theatre

Step into a world of artistic brilliance at the Staatstheater Mainz, where timeless tales and contemporary narratives come alive. From the enchanting operetta of 'The Beautiful Helena' to the gripping play 'The End of Eddy', each performance offers a unique exploration of human emotions and societal themes. Join us as we journey through captivating musicals, operas, plays, and ballets, showcasing the creativity and talent of remarkable performers and creators.

Staatstheater Mainz: Unveiling Timeless Tales and Modern Narratives

Staatstheater Mainz's upcoming season promises an eclectic mix of storytelling and performance art that delves into timeless myths, modern dilemmas, and riveting dramas. From the legendary tales of Greek mythology in 'The Beautiful Helena' to the poignant journey of identity in 'The End of Eddy', each event offers a unique exploration of human experience and cultural heritage. Join us as we delve deep into the narratives, performances, and themes that make this season at Staatstheater Mainz a must-see for any theater enthusiast.

Cultural Odyssey: A Dive into Staatstheater Mainz's Diverse Theatrical Line-Up

Staatstheater Mainz presents a captivating season filled with diverse theatrical experiences. From classic operettas and plays to contemporary dance performances, the lineup features works that span cultures, histories, and genres. With talented performers and innovative creative teams, audiences can expect to be both entertained and challenged by the stories unfolding on stage. Whether diving into Greek mythology, exploring the human condition, or celebrating dance, there's something for everyone at this renowned cultural venue.

Exploring Theatrical Masterpieces at Staatstheater Mainz

The Staatstheater Mainz is hosting a diverse set of performances in 2025 that delve into themes ranging from displacement and identity crises to family dynamics and dystopian futures. Featuring plays and musicals such as 'Non-Existent', 'The Fall of the House of Usher', and 'The End of Eddy', the theater offers a variety of narratives that explore human resilience, societal issues, and personal struggles. With an impressive roster of talented performers and creative works, these events promise to leave a lasting impact.

Exploring Diversity and Depth at Staatstheater Mainz's 2025 Season

In the coming months, Staatstheater Mainz invites theater lovers to an eclectic mix of performances that promise to captivate audiences. From the haunting musical adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Fall of the House of Usher' to the thought-provoking play 'The End of Eddy,' and the whimsical yet dark 'The Addams Family,' there's something for everyone. The lineup also includes compelling works like '4.48 Psychosis,' 'Planet B,' 'Turandot,' 'The Servant of Two Masters,' 'Underdog,' and 'The Cunning Little Vixen.' These diverse productions, featuring talented performers and insightful storytelling, are set to unfold a theatrical experience worth remembering.

Exploring the Unforgettable Theatrical Journey at Staatstheater Mainz

The Staatstheater Mainz is set to host a captivating lineup of events spanning multiple genres, offering audiences a rich tapestry of theatrical and musical experiences. From the whimsical journey of 'The Dung Beetle' to the suspenseful family dynamics in 'The Addams Family,' the stage is set for a season filled with diverse narratives. With performances such as 'The Little Vampire,' Beethoven's 'Fidelio,' and chamber music ensembles, the theater promises something special for every patron. Dive into the details of these unique productions, their performers, and the creative works that promise to enchant audiences in the coming season.

Exploring Staatstheater Mainz: A Season of Diverse Performances

Staatstheater Mainz invites you to an eclectic lineup of performances, from operatic tales to whimsical musicals and orchestral masterpieces. With events like 'The Dung Beetle,' 'The Addams Family,' and the captivating 'Fastnacht Symphony,' audiences are set for a journey through diverse narratives and artistic expressions. Renowned performers and conductors bring these stories to life, making Mainz a cultural hub this season. Join us as we explore these artistic adventures that promise to engage, entertain, and inspire.

Cultural Extravaganza at Staatstheater Mainz: A Journey Through Art, Music, and Drama

Music that remembers and gives rise to hope can be heard in this 6th symphony concert. Mieczysław Weinberg dedicates his Polish Melodies to his beloved but lost homeland . On 6 September 1939 the young composer sat spellbound by the radio: the propaganda chief on the staff of the Supreme Commander in Poland announced that the German Wehrmacht was approaching Warsaw. The young music student immediately fled to the Soviet Union. “Poland is my homeland,” Weinberg maintained throughout his life, even after he had found a second home, a new family and the most successful period of his creative life in Russia. In Moscow he was initially able to establish himself as a successful composer, but the post-war period and the increasing oppression of minorities brought ever greater repression to the Jew Weinberg. The Polish Melodies , which Weinberg composed in 1950, paint a picture of his first homeland – if one believes the cheerful sentences, they must have been memories of a carefree time. Only once more, in 1966, did Weinberg return to Poland and learn that his parents and sister had been murdered by the Nazis in the Trawniki concentration camp.

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6th Symphony Concert

Staatstheater Mainz

The sight of a monstrous snake can easily make you faint. When Prince Tamino comes to, he believes he has seen his savior in the somewhat enigmatic Papageno. But he is far from it, as three ladies from the Queen of the Night's entourage rebuke him: she has saved Tamino because he is to free Pamina, the Queen of the Night's daughter, from the clutches of her kidnapper Sarastro. Enchanted by the image of Pamina, Tamino sets out on his journey. But the boundaries between good and evil, right and wrong seem to blur – is the star-blazing Queen of the Night in the right, or is Sarastro on the side of truth, goodness, and beauty? Trials must be passed, obstacles overcome, and insights gained before Tamino and Pamina can finally be united and Papageno, too, finally finds a companion.

The Magic Flute

A powerful example of courage and resistance in times of greatest darkness is Viktor Ullmann's The Emperor of Atlantis or The Refusal to Die Todverweigerung . Created in 1943-44 in the Theresienstadt concentration camp, the opera is a parable of an inhumane, despotic system.

The Emperor of Atlantis

Seven times this season, members of the Mainz Philharmonic State Orchestra and guests will perform Sunday matinees in the foyer of the Grand Hall. Here, various ensembles cultivate the rich genre of chamber music and present works of their own choosing – from great classics to rare chamber music works.

Sunday matinee in February

Mozart's Magic Flute transports us to a fascinating world full of magic, adventure, and music. From the joyful Papageno to the mysterious Queen of the Night – the music takes us on a journey full of highlights and surprises. Naturally, the story is told in a child-friendly way, allowing listeners to experience the magic of The Magic Flute firsthand. A musical adventure that awakens curiosity and brings the magic of classical music to life.

Music and magic – the world of The Magic Flute

Do you also take your shoes off when you enter the house? Have your children encouraged you to spend more time on the floor? Who actually cleans the floors in your house? And what movements does this person use? Do you prefer stroking, rubbing, scrubbing, or tickling? Well, with what exactly?

Mops (UA)

Helau & Fanfare! The State Orchestra invites you once again to the Symphonie Fastnachtique – musically top-notch as always, visually wildly patterned: The musicians slip into colorful roles. And the new chief conductor? He's more nervous about choosing his costumes than about his performance! An evening full of sounds, tulle, and a sense of tact! Chairman Lars Reichow, with his usual sharp tongue, leads the evening.

Fastnacht Symphony

In the 2025/26 season, three chamber concerts will again take place in the Mainz-Weisenau Synagogue.

3rd Chamber Concert in the Synagogue

Alte Synagoge Mainz-Weisenau

Willy Loman doesn't quite want to admit it: his best days as a sales representative are over. But what happens when the most important thing in life is taken away?

Death of a Salesman

Composer Julia Kerr, mother of Judith Kerr, who wrote down her moving emigration story from a child's perspective in When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit , always carried her opera score The Chronoplan with her while fleeing the Nazis . On the restless journey through Europe, however, parts of her composition were lost and remained missing until a few years ago. Made possible by extensive reconstruction work, the stage premiere of the opera is now being staged.

The Chronoplan (UA)

Hélène is almost forty, has had a career, married, had two daughters, and lives in an architect's villa near Nancy. She has fulfilled her childhood dream: to change her background and become successful. Christophe, on the other hand, has never left his hometown in eastern France. He sells dog food and leads an indecisive little life – until he meets Hélène again...

Connemara (UA)

Chamber music and playing in smaller ensembles is the root of all the intensity and transparency of the orchestral sound. This is one of the reasons why the chamber music series of the Mainz Philharmonic State Orchestra have been a fixture in Mainz's musical life for many years and a key concern of the orchestra's members. Full of anticipation, various ensembles gather together, lovingly conceive their programs, and meticulously prepare for these highly esteemed performances.

Sunday matinee in January

Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio, tells of a woman's courageous fight for freedom and justice: Leonore disguises herself as Fidelio in order to free her husband from the unjustly imprisoned dungeon. Her path to the story's happy ending is as arduous as Beethoven's compositional process. He revised the entire work four times, writing a separate overture for each new version. While the first three overtures incorporate musical material from the opera, thus anticipating parts of the plot, Beethoven dispensed with direct quotations in the final Fidelio overture. Using two rhythmically distinct motifs, he created contrast and dynamic energy that provide the atmospheric foundation for this moving opera.

5th Symphony Concert

Engelbert Humperdinck was actually only supposed to set to music a few passages from the fairytale play Hansel and Gretel , which his sister Adelheid Wette had written for a family performance. However, on the enthusiastic advice of his relatives, the small project developed first into a singspiel and finally into a full-length opera about the story of the siblings Hansel and Gretel. Growing up in poverty, their mother sends them into the forest to pick berries out of necessity. There they meet not only the Sand Men and the Dew Men, but also the witch who has sent shivers down the spines of countless children.

Hansel and Gretel

Experience a festive Christmas program full of sonic splendor! The State Orchestra brings musical stories about puppets and a snowman to life. Touching, inspiring, and surprising – like the perfect Christmas gift for the whole family!

Christmas concert

Marie receives a nutcracker on Christmas Eve. She loves it from the very first moment. At night, she even dreams of the beautiful gift: Large mice scurry through the room,and with a rumble, the Christmas tree begins to grow. Finally, the nutcracker comes to life. Together with it, Marie enters the land of sweets, and a journey into wondrous worlds begins...

The Nutcracker

Nora Monsecour has been a member of the tanzmainz ensemble since the 2018/19 season and, as a brilliant dancer, has collaborated with numerous renowned artists. She uses her diverse skills to explore a personal yet universal theme in her first solo recital.

Façade (UA)

Angry over the sharp rise in food prices, Antonia and Margherita decide to raid the supermarket. At home, they hide the goods from their equally unsuspecting yet law-abiding husbands. When the police begin searching their apartments, things get tense. A rapid-fire game of confusion ensues, and a socially critical farce unfolds, featuring exploding inflation rates, economic crises, and political lies.

There is no payment!

Anyone who has ever experienced a silent film with live music will never forget it. It is a powerful experience to allow the now historic film images to enter into dialogue with live music. What was once common is now a rarity, even though there is a small but very active community of experts and enthusiasts in German-speaking countries who, in addition to repertoire classics like Metropolis or Nosferatu , also celebrate films that are often largely unknown today. Preserving and archiving this fragile film material is a race against time: The film reels, now 100 years old or more, are often damaged by environmental influences or improper storage, are sometimes only partially preserved, and are scattered in remote attics all over the world. The music for the respective films is often completely lost - which makes it all the more important that there are numerous initiatives that have set themselves the goal of making the silent film genre accessible to the public again in all its stylistic breadth and with newly composed music.

4th Symphony Concert

Sunday matinee in November

Angelina dreams of a better life. Since her mother's death, she has been treated condescendingly by her stepfather Don Magnifico and his daughters Clorinda and Tisbe. Under no circumstances is she, Cinderella, allowed to go to the prince's party, who is looking for a bride and for whose attention Clorinda and Tisbe are vying. Angelina doesn't want to see the prince there, but rather his servant, with whom she has fallen head over heels in love. What she doesn't realize is that the servant is actually the prince himself. In order to find a woman who will love him for himself, he has swapped roles with his servant. But before Angelina can be happy with her prince, many a trick and disguise is necessary. Fortunately, the wise philosopher Alidoro is on her side to help her.

La Cenerentola (Cinderella)

Friends are the people who stay with us for life – or at least we think so. From the sandbox to school to the retirement home, they accompany us. They protect us from loneliness, help us get over losses, and know our secrets. They are the first relationships we consciously choose for ourselves and play a special role, especially during puberty, when we distance ourselves from our parents and begin to search for our identity. Who do I want to belong to? What group do I want to be a part of? The people we surround ourselves with have a huge influence on how we perceive ourselves.

Friendship never ends (AT) (UA)

Shortly before the premiere, we'll give you an insight into the rehearsal process. After an introduction, you can attend part of a rehearsal and gain an exclusive insight into the development of a new production.

Insight: La Cenerentola

Sergei Prokofiev's musical fairytale has, of course, long been a classic, introducing all sorts of orchestral instruments and requiring little further explanation. We look forward to Peter, his grandfather, the bird, the duck, the cat, and, with some anticipation, the Big Bad Wolf...

Peter and the Wolf

A successful divorce lawyer, Helena, who has been dumped yet again by her married lover and is alone in a bar with a bottle of wine, meets Bob, an inconspicuous petty criminal waiting for his next assignment. They are both 35, and by the looks of things, life and this night don't seem to have much in store for them anymore – so they rush into a drunken one-night stand. That could be the end of Helena and Bob's story, were they not to meet again by chance the next day. Helena is standing on the steps of a church in her bridesmaid dress when Bob walks past her with £15,000 of stolen goods in his pocket, which he didn't manage to get to the bank in time. What started as an afternoon together turns into a long, strangely magical Midsummer's Eve, during which they spend the entire £15,000, drinking, spilling, and distributing liters of alcohol, and gaining esoteric insights in a bondage club. "Instead of linearity, this self-ironic 'play with songs' has an emotional logic that delivers laughs of recognition every minute without drifting into sentimentality. Greig plays with the weighty questions that one should always ask oneself in life. Brilliant," writes the trade magazine Theater heute.

A summer night

The popular version of the biblical proverb "Whoever enters danger will fall in it" (Sirach 3:26) is reflected in the saying "He who walks in danger will perish in it." And indeed, art often carries a touch of risk for those involved. Whether with a safety net or a false bottom, whether authentic or merely illusionistic – every true piece of art requires transcending boundaries and carries the risk of falling and failure. This is where the dancers are called upon, not as gamblers addicted to thrills and the ultimate adrenaline rush, but rather in their professionalism, their mutual trust, and their vulnerability. Gravity takes us into the wonderful world of their "risk space."

Gravity (UA)

Three great composers have been brought together for this concert, who turn formative biographical stages – whether wrestling with death or saying goodbye to loved ones or working through role models – into music.

3rd Symphony Concert

During the 2025/26 season, various chamber concerts will again take place in the Mainz-Weisenau Synagogue.

2nd Chamber Concert in the Synagogue

After the death of his girlfriend, Jonah has withdrawn into an artificial world where he surrounds himself with humanoid robots. With Alma, he has created a seemingly perfect new companion, whose memory he erases every night. Inspired by his friendship with a child, however, she develops her own desires and demands her right to self-determination. A dangerous game of life and death erupts between human and android.

humanoid

When his parents go dancing on Saturday nights, ten-year-old Anton Bohnsack settles in at home with his favorite books. He loves reading vampire stories—the scarier, the better. But when a real vampire suddenly appears on his windowsill one evening, it gives him a real fright. It's a good thing this little bloodsucker, Rüdiger von Schlotterstein, and his younger sister, Anna the Toothless, are more interested in friendship than in Anton's blood. If only it weren't for the adults! Human children should probably stay hidden from Rüdiger's relatives. Anton's parents don't really believe in vampires, but they're determined to invite their son's strange new friends over for cake. And then there's the nasty Geiermeier, who wants to make the cemetery vampire-free...

The Little Vampire

Gerda and Kay are best friends. But when Kay gets a splinter in his eye, everything suddenly changes. He finds Gerda and his other friends annoying and boring and follows the alluring voice of the icy-beautiful Snow Queen. Gerda sets out to find her friend – and finds herself: In the mysterious and shrill realm of the Flower Queen, at the golden court of a lovesick prince and princess, and in the dangerous and harsh world of the Robber Queen, she learns to stand up for herself and her friends. With the help of the crow and the reindeer, she ultimately discovers her way and, with the true power of friendship – laughter – is able to free Kay from the Snow Queen's cold hands.

The Snow Queen

The premiere of Heinrich von Kleist's comedy The Broken Jug , conducted by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1808 at the Court Theatre in Weimar, was a flop; it wasn't until 1820 that the play began to conquer the stage.

The Broken Jug

Poetry slam meets classical music – Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique as the soundtrack to an emotional rollercoaster – heartbreak, madness, and dark dreams. At the center: an artist almost destroyed by his unrequited love. At first, he dreams himself into love through romantic fantasies and lavish balls – but then everything turns sour. Jealousy, madness, thoughts of murder, nightmares, death knells. And at the end? A witches' sabbath.

1. Concert for young people

"I feel like I only have to look at my father once, speak to him briefly, and my whole life will change." Francis's path seems preordained. After his stepfather and half-brother left the family, he lives with his mentally ill mother in a trailer park near Claymont. Financial problems and his mother's hospital stays dominate his life, and he's in danger of finally falling behind in school. Francis is convinced he's going to lead the life of a loser, until one day he learns the truth about his father. His mother was artificially inseminated with the help of a gifted sperm bank, making Francis the son of a brilliant Harvard scientist.

Almost brilliant

With great creativity and a great deal of confident humor, Carl Grübel has now reworked the attack in his autofictional program "Lipsticks ." Together with musician Jacob Bussmann, he manages an exciting theatrical balancing act between dealing with the painful experience and the power of imagination.

Lip service

Kannawoniwasein! There are days when everything seems to go wrong. Finn is traveling alone by train from his father in Neustrelitz to his mother in Berlin when a shady stranger steals his backpack and cell phone. And then he's thrown off the train by a grumpy conductor and handed over to the police, who make no attempt to search for the fleeing thief. Finn has to take matters into his own hands. Together with the lively Jola, he escapes from the police, and the two runaways make their own way to the "Tzitti." Along the way, they steal a tractor, spend the night in the forest, and soon pick up the trail of the backpack thief again.

Kannawoniwasein! Sometimes you just have to disappear (UA)

The Cat in the Hat ends up in Stackeln an der Kruke by chance. She moves into an old, empty house where the grumpy brewery director Maulwisch spent his unhappy childhood. The cat promises to make the house a thoroughly happy place. But that's impossible on her own – so little by little she takes in a bunch of homeless people, orphans, and oddballs: Marianne the Dudelhuhn, Captain Knaak, the Zappergeck, Baby Hübner the musical pig, the Stolpervogel, and the Erbsenstein brothers. Together they turn the house completely upside down and open the doors to happiness. But with so many protégés, there's naturally no money left for the rent. Brewery director Maulwisch immediately makes a fuss!

Cat with hat

Beer, sofa, football - an average life. Suddenly, however, Death himself appears at the door and announces that this life will be over in three minutes. So far, so predictable. What was not predictable, and even less planned, however, was that at that exact moment his ex-girlfriend Sophia would knock on the door. A mistake in the operational process. From now on, fatefully chained together, a spectacular journey through life begins for the man, Sophia and Death. Past bars, motels and special people, their witty and touching road trip takes them further and further back to their previous lives and ever closer to the question: Is it better to burn out than to fade away?

Sophia, Death and I

She was a candidate for the prestigious Prix de Rome: the French composer Mel Bonis . But her promising career ended before it could really begin. After Mel Bonis entered into a marriage arranged by her parents, she composed only for herself. Between 1897 and 1913 she wrote the piano pieces Femmes de Légende , which are inspired by female figures from literature and mythology such as Salome and Ophelia. Mel Bonis also arranged some of these pieces for orchestra, including Le Songe de Cléopâtre . With impressionistic timbres that are reminiscent of her fellow student Claude Debussy, yet reveal a very subtle style of her own, she paints the picture of a powerful and seductive Cleopatra.

2nd Symphony Concert

“Shift your weight from side to side. Keep this movement while slowly turning 90 degrees to your left. Remember, you are not alone.” In an exciting experimental setup, tanzmainz dancer and choreographer Finn Lakeberg investigates how language can trigger movement. Live and without knowing what will happen, three dancers face a challenge: A voice offstage gives them movement instructions, along with the request to implement them directly and immediately. How differently will they interpret them? How much scope remains for personal expression when the movement instructions seem clear?

The Frame (UA)

Felix Krull sees the world as a stage and wants to live life to the fullest. He grew up in a small town in the Rheingau region. His father was an unsuccessful sparkling wine producer who drove the family to ruin and then took his own life. Felix – the lucky one – sets out into the wide world to escape poverty. Through his godfather, Schimmelpreester, he finds a job in a luxury hotel in Paris. There, he becomes very good at saying what people want to hear. He is what he seems. He is authentic through deception and an expert at marketing himself. A projection figure for all desires.

Confessions of the Impostor Felix Krull

Acclaimed actress Myrtle Gordon is going through a period of upheaval in her life. Suddenly, she's cast in roles played by visibly aging women, and she struggles with the situation. Rehearsals for a new play become a real test for her. If she commits to this role, will the narratives she's allowed to tell be set in stone?

Opening Night

Paul buries himself in the memories of his deceased wife Marie. He has set up his house as a reliquary. Then he meets Marietta, a dancer. Everything about her reminds him of his great love. But Marietta is full of life and has her own wishes for a relationship with Paul. In a heated phantasmagoria, Paul is torn between his loyalty to his dead wife and the desires of the life-hungry dancer.

The dead city

Bastian Balthasar Bux is a completely normal boy, or at least that's what he always thought... until one day his whole life changed.

The Neverending Story

Insight: The Dead City

Sunday matinee in October

A moment of carelessness leads a young vixen to be captured. She grows up on a forester's farm, surrounded by pestering children, a misunderstood dachshund, and a flock of chickens whose eagerness to serve only further encourages the vixen to give in to her hunting instinct. After escaping to freedom, she encounters a fox, with whom she starts a family—not without some forest dwellers commenting indignantly on the young couple's courtship. But in the forest, not only fox and badger, but sometimes also forester and schoolmaster say "good night" to each other when they meet on their way back from the pub. And when the paths of humans and animals cross, the animals often come out on the short end...

The clever little fox

To mark Johann Strauss's 200th birthday, we celebrate the King of Waltzing with a special concert for curious young ears. The rousing Tritsch-Tratsch Polka , the sparkling thunder and lightning , and, of course, the world-famous waltz " On the Beautiful Blue Danube" will transport listeners of all ages to a world of sound full of lightness, wit, and elegance.

Johann Strauss for little whirlwinds

The play takes place on board a Danish packet boat trading on the nearby coast. Shortly before departure, a man jumps into the harbor to escape his pursuers. Carl, the captain's son, gives the stranger protection by hiding him in the cargo hold. But the presence of the fugitive, who, as it soon turns out, is a Jewish doctor, cannot be concealed on the small boat for long...

The stowaway

Heinzi Bösel, a petty-bourgeois creep, and Kurt Fellner, a nerd tinged with the yuppie zeitgeist, travel through the provinces as inspectors of the hospitality and hotel industry. Initial hostility develops into a friendship that ultimately withstands even the intensive care unit...

India

Even as a child, Eddy Bellegueule felt that he would have difficulty living up to the expectations of those around him. His world was a small village in Picardy, northern France, and his upbringing in a working-class family was marked by poverty, violence, and social exclusion. Eddy's perceived feminine behavior made him an outsider long before he discovered his own homosexuality, and the constant rejection from his peers and lack of acceptance from his family weighed heavily on him. Despite the adverse circumstances, Eddy sought ways to escape his surroundings and find his own identity. Édouard Louis's autofictional debut novel tells the story of escaping an oppressive childhood in unsparing, explicit imagery and with almost sociological precision.

The end of Eddy

Uli and Svenja are actually working together on an encyclopedia about forest creatures. But while Uli carefully tries to gather photos and factual information, Svenja suddenly questions all the truths she thought were certain. And then she also claims to have seen an incredible animal in the moor, so incredible that it defies description. Is that possible? Uli wants to see it with her own eyes. But suddenly, completely different mysterious things start happening, and the moor itself transforms into a magical labyrinth in which everyone is stuck together. Will they succeed in freeing themselves?

The encyclopedia for everything (UA)

Princess Turandot never wants to belong to a man. To deter her suitors, she has passed a cruel law: anyone who wishes to marry her must first solve three riddles. If they fail, they are executed. Countless men have already met their deaths this way. Nevertheless, Prince Calaf feels attracted to Turandot. Ignoring the urgent warnings of his father and Liù, who loves him selflessly, he faces the riddles – and succeeds in solving them! But instead of taking Turandot as his wife against her will, he now gives her a riddle of his own…

Turandot

Viola is separated from her brother Sebastian in a shipwreck and comes ashore in Illyria. Here, disguised as a page, she decides to enter the service of Duke Orsino under the name Cesario. The Duke takes a liking to the young nobleman and sends him as a messenger to Olivia, whom he adores. Viola, who has fallen in love with the Duke, suffers under these errands. To her delight, Olivia rejects Orsino's advances, as she has sworn to mourn her deceased brother for seven years – but then falls in love with the supposed youth Cesario. This leads to turbulent complications, which are further exacerbated by the appearance of Sebastian, who was also rescued in the shipwreck and who bears a striking resemblance to Viola. A melancholic jester accompanies the numerous amorous adventures and the pranks of the colorful group surrounding Squire Tobias with his wisdom. He also participates in a prank played by Tobias and his lady-in-waiting, Maria, on the snooty steward Malvolio: They trick him into believing Olivia loves him, whereupon he makes such a fool of himself that Olivia thinks he's crazy. He is imprisoned and, deeply offended, plots revenge...

What you want

In Schlagerträume , Franziska Sarah Layritz, together with Tima Zucker (justmainz Spielclub) and Klaus Köhler (ensemble member), explores the fascination of Schlager music in a humorous yet simultaneously serious way. Passionate and free from many conventions, Schlager music should and may be discussed, written, composed, and, of course, performed. How did Schlager bring the two performers together, how did it socialize them, describe, and determine their lives?

Schlager Dreams (world premiere)

Ates Yilmaz and four string players lovingly and playfully introduce the world of music to the very youngest with Mozart's Clarinet Quintet. Younger visitors should bring a drinking bottle, pacifier, play mat, and, of course, a trusted companion.

First of all Mozart

America's most bizarre family is back with a new story: The Addamses live a anything but ordinary life in their house in Central Park, full of darkness, pain, and death. But that could soon change: Wednesday, the family's daughter, has grown up and falls in love with a handsome, intelligent young man from a respectable family - a man the likes of which her parents have never met before. As if that weren't bad enough, Wednesday lets her father in on her secret and begs him not to tell her mother. Now Gomez Addams has to do something he's never done before - keep a secret from his beloved wife Morticia. And the next catastrophe is just around the corner: That evening the families are supposed to get to know each other, and Wednesday just wants a completely normal evening without any unusual incidents, but everything turns out differently than planned...

The Addams Family

Inspired by the powerful emotions surrounding love, Soul Chain combines ballet and electro into gripping contemporary dance. The ensemble becomes a swarm of energy in a highly demanding choreography that won the German Theatre Award DER FAUST in 2018 and was invited to the prestigious TANZPLATTFORM DEUTSCHLAND in 2020.

Soul Chain (UA)

Jonathan Peachum, a successful entrepreneur in organized begging, has the city firmly in his grip. No one who wants to make it as a beggar can get past him. Only his daughter Polly, of all people, doesn't listen to him. She has plans to marry Macheath, known as Mackie Messer, who is also a big name in the London underworld. Macheath has good contacts in the authorities, especially with Police Chief Tiger Brown. These contacts are very useful in preventing the occasional unpleasant (murder) story from becoming a problem. But now it's not just Polly's father who is out to get him; other women he has promised to marry are also reminding people of themselves. In The Threepenny Opera, Kurt Weill mixes elements of jazz, tango, and fairground music, garnishing them with sideswipes at opera and operetta. The piece, which is based on John Gay's baroque opera parody The Beggar's Opera , is directed by Jan Neumann, who has staged the plays Sensemann & Söhne and kurz&nackig at the Staatstheater Mainz, among others.

The Threepenny Opera

Moritz Ostruschnjak's work is at the cutting edge of contemporary dance. The Munich-based choreographer explores how the increasing digitalization of life impacts our physical and social experience. His works use social media as a starting point for unique movement material, thus reflecting social processes through dance.

Trailer Park (UA)

A deadly plague is raging in Thebes. Only the atonement for a blood debt can, it is said, prevent the impending doom: King Oedipus must find the murderer of his predecessor Laius to save Thebes—and in doing so, inevitably uncovers an increasingly horrific entanglement of guilt and innocence, of fate, freedom, power, and betrayal, at the center of which lies the secret of his own origins.

Oedipus

Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour, who has already been a guest at the Mainz State Theater with his production "Nassim", and director Omar Elerian take the unique concept of Soleimanpour's plays to the next level. Every evening, new actors take to the stage, unaware of what will happen to them. Without a single rehearsal and unprepared, the theater text becomes their guide on a journey through the history of the author, who is repeatedly connected live from his apartment in Berlin. Or is he? Can we really know where or when we are?

echo

On February 19, 2020, a right-wing extremist known to the police shot dead nine people with an immigrant background in Hanau – one of the most brutal series of murders in recent German history, one that has barely been addressed to date.

And now Hanau

District Court of Mainz

A moment of carelessness leads to a young fox being captured. She grows up on a forester's farm, surrounded by forester's children who tease her, a dachshund who feels misunderstood, and a flock of chickens whose eagerness to serve only encourages the fox to give in to her hunting instinct. After escaping to freedom, she meets a fox with whom she starts a family - not without some forest dwellers commenting indignantly on the young couple's courtship. But in the forest, it's not just foxes and badgers who say "good night" to each other, but sometimes foresters and schoolmasters too, when they meet on the way back from the pub. And when the paths of humans and animals cross, the animals often come off worse...

The Cunning Little Vixen

" Underdog invites the audience to a dialogue about dominance and submission and explores the depths of our collective psyche through the themes of hunting, desire and power. It confronts us with the paradoxes of strength and vulnerability and reminds us that in the cycle of life we ​​are all hunters and hunted, caught in the delicate balance of nature." (Alan Lucien Øyen)

Underdog (UA)

"One job doesn't get you very far these days. You need two for a life. That's the so-called flexibility that everyone is talking about these days. They do it so that at the end of the day we don't know where we are at. But two paychecks mean two meals, that's all I can think of right now."
Beatrice wants to collect her recently deceased brother's money from his debtors, but nobody takes her seriously as a woman. So she disguises herself as her dead brother in order to get the money she is entitled to. To gain credibility and support, she also hires the servant Truffaldino. However, he has also taken a job with Florindo because he cannot otherwise make ends meet on his salary. What he doesn't know is that Florindo is Beatrice's lover and is on the run because he is said to have killed Beatrice's brother because Beatrice's brother wanted to prevent his relationship with his sister. Chaos and comedy of errors are inevitable...

The Servant of Two Masters

The action of the play takes place on board a Danish packet boat that trades on the nearby coasts. Shortly before departure, a man jumps into the harbor to escape from his pursuers. Carl, the captain's son, gives the stranger protection by hiding him in the hold. But the presence of the fugitive, who, as it soon turns out, is a Jewish doctor, cannot be kept secret on the small boat for long...

The Stowaway

Princess Turandot never wants to belong to a man. To deter her suitors, she has passed a cruel law: anyone who wants to marry her must first solve three riddles.
If he fails, he is executed. Countless men have already died this way. Prince Calaf also feels attracted to Turandot. Ignoring the urgent warnings of his father and Liù, who loves him selflessly, he faces the riddles - and is able to solve them. But instead of taking Turandot as his wife against her will, he now gives her a riddle of his own...

40 million years in the future: A humanoid species re-enacts the legendary myth of how their ancestors, the primitive species Homo sapiens, disappeared from Earth and ended up on Planet B:
Their story begins on Earth in the 21st century, where the climate catastrophe is raging unchecked and many species have already become extinct. Then aliens suddenly appear and tell humanity that "Project Earth" unfortunately cannot be extended. Humans have dominated and exploited the Earth for too long.

Planet B

Very few of us have lived in a world without nuclear weapons. I haven't. You probably haven't either. They just exist....
Sometimes the threat comes into focus. When Russia invades Ukraine. But that doesn't make the weapons any more dangerous. They are always dangerous. And one day - intentionally or accidentally - they will be reused. And then it's all over.
None of this is normal.

Talking about the Fire

4:48 a.m. Every 24 hours, in this darkest hour of the night, the effects of the psychotropic drug cocktail wear off - until the next dose 72 minutes later. Every night at this time, the drug veil lifts from the tormented consciousness and they return, the intrusive dark thoughts that threaten to suppress everything else. Nightmare visions. Feelings of hopelessness and self-hatred. Fragments of memories: of conversations with an absent lover. With a therapist whose professional distance seems downright cruel.

4.48 Psychosis

The work of Berlin choreographer Sasha Waltz has shaped the German dance scene for over 30 years. In 1993 she founded her dance company Sasha Waltz & Guests, performed with it at the most prestigious venues both nationally and internationally, and received the Federal Cross of Merit for her work in 2011. It is high time that tanzmainz and Sasha Waltz & Guests met: In the 2024/25 season, the ensembles will work together several times. The first piece is In C - a piece that Sasha Waltz designed from the outset with the basic idea of ​​a project for open knowledge transfer. Dancers from tanzmainz and the Berlin company will present joint performances in a mixed cast at the Staatstheater Mainz and in the Radialsystem Berlin.

In C tanzmainz meets Sasha Waltz & Guests

America's most bizarre family is back with a new story: The Addams live a life in their house in Central Park that is anything but ordinary, full of darkness, pain and death. But that could soon change: Wednesday, the daughter of the family, has grown up and falls in love with a handsome, intelligent young man from a respectable family - a man her parents have never met before. As if that wasn't bad enough, Wednesday lets her father in on her secret and begs him not to tell her mother. Now Gomez Addams has to do something he has never done before - keep a secret from his beloved wife Morticia. And the next catastrophe is just around the corner: That evening the families are supposed to get to know each other and Wednesday just wants a completely normal evening without any unusual incidents, but everything turns out differently than planned...

Even as a child, Eddy Bellegueule felt that he would find it difficult to live up to the expectations of those around him. His world is a small village in Picardy in northern France, and his upbringing in a working-class family is marked by poverty, violence, and social exclusion. Eddy's behavior, which is perceived as feminine, makes him an outsider long before he can discover his own homosexuality, and the constant rejection of his fellow human beings and lack of acceptance from his family weigh heavily on him. Despite the adverse circumstances, Eddy looks for ways to escape his surroundings and find his own identity. Édouard Louis' autofictional debut novel tells the story of escaping an oppressive childhood with ruthlessness and sociological precision.

The End of Eddy

The emperor's horse receives golden horseshoes for its great achievements. The little dung beetle, who lives in the stable, believes he too should be honored with such a decoration, but receives only scorn and ridicule. Misunderstood and deeply offended, the "imperial insect" sets out on a journey through his little world, where many adventures await...

The dung beetle

Get your tickets for the Posse 2025 now! It's best to do it today, because, like every year: on Ash Wednesday, everything is over!

Come in, dear audience! This time we are going on a little journey through time with the farce. We are taking you to the carnival season of the late 1950s and looking behind the scenes of the fair that was taking place at that time. Life, love, stress at the Määnzer Mess ! As the title suggests, the worries and needs of people back then are actually the same as they are today! Was everything better in the past? Or maybe not? Does the journey through time show us that some problems could be solved very easily?

Everything revolves or: Life, love, stress at the Määnzer Mess

When Colm and his wife Bonnie return to his father's hometown, an island off West Cork, Ireland, for the first time in many years, everything seems different at first: His mother Beiv, a famous visual artist who lives a secluded life on the island, has demolished half of the house and decided to only install glass walls in order to deliberately put herself on display. People in the village are talking anyway. Since the mysterious death of her husband, who died at sea ten years ago, she has been accused of murder and is constantly under surveillance. And her son's visit holds a few surprises for Beiv too. Colm has kept his wedding to art student Bonnie a secret from her and otherwise seems to have no interest in a harmonious reunion. Old wounds are quickly reopened. The sudden appearance of his old childhood friend Donal finally causes the situation to escalate. The past draws everyone into a whirlpool of old and new injuries, accusations of guilt and unrequited love.

Beacon

On February 19, 2020, a right-wing extremist known to the police shot dead nine people with an immigration background in Hanau - one of the most brutal series of murders in recent German history, which has hardly been dealt with to date.

Landgericht Mainz

"Light gives us the ability to perceive others and thus ourselves. Like in a pinhole camera, the new impressions fall on our retina and condition our actions. The information that reaches us passes unfiltered from the outside to the inside. There it changes due to our predispositions. The same events can therefore elicit very contradictory reactions in different people." (Philippe Kratz)

Camera Obscura (UA)

The emotionally torn Roderick Usher is the last branch of a degenerate noble family and is at the centre of this dark story by Edgar Allan Poe. The story is initially a dialogue between Roderick Usher and the first-person narrator William, who finds his friend in a worryingly absent-minded state on his country estate. Roderick's twin sister also lives in the house. But for William, her presence is like a ghostly suspicion - especially when Roderick declares her dead. This huge, demonic house, which seems to be tearing apart in the middle, seems to have a malicious power over the souls that live in it. What family history is inscribed in the house?

The Fall of the House of Usher

Gerda and Kay are best friends. But when Kay gets a splinter in his eye, everything is suddenly different. He finds Gerda and his other friends annoying and boring and follows the enticing voice of the ice-beautiful Snow Queen. Gerda sets out to find her friend - and finds herself: In the mysterious and shrill realm of the Flower Queen, at the golden court of a lovesick prince and princess, in the dangerous and harsh world of the Robber Queen, she learns to stand up for herself and her friends. With the help of the crow and the reindeer, she ultimately finds her way and is able to free Kay from the cold hands of the Snow Queen with the true power of friendship - laughter.

The Snow Queen Musical theater

A collective energy is released, flows through the bodies, burns and creates new forces. Like masses that charge themselves and pass on impulses, connections are created that support and encourage each other. In this dance, the bodies form a living field of tension, the echo of which pulsates through the floor. 35 performers between the ages of 12 and 80 combine to form a network of tension and connection.

Echoes of Tension

Anyone who has an eagle for a father dreams of flying. The young Duke of Reichstadt, nicknamed "L'Aiglon" ("the young eagle"), is the only legitimate male descendant of Napoleon Bonaparte and wants to follow in his famous father's footsteps and make history himself. Encouraged by war veteran Flambeau, he wants to escape the golden cage in Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, where Austrian Chancellor Metternich is keeping him imprisoned: Napoleon's son with Marie-Louise of Austria wants to regain control of France. But the young bird's wings break when he sets foot on a battlefield for the first time in his life and hears the ghostly voices of the fallen. He begins to understand what the reality of war really means.

L'Aiglon

Bastian Balthasar Bux is a completely normal boy, or at least that's what he always thought... until one day his whole life changed.
Teased and laughed at by his classmates, he takes refuge after school in Karl Konrad Koreander's antiquarian bookshop. There he discovers a mysterious book entitled
The Neverending Story , which immediately captivates him. As he begins to read, reality around him seems to blur and he is immersed in the
magical realm of Phantásien, which is threatened by "Nothingness". There he learns about the Childlike Empress, who is terminally ill, about the heroic Atreyu, and about Auryn, the symbol of power and wisdom. He also learns that all of Phantásien's hope rests on the shoulders of the young warrior Atreyu, who is to search for a human child. The further he reads, the more Bastian seems to become a part of the story. Is he the one Atreyu is looking for and who holds the fate of this magical world in his hands? That can't be true, he of all people is supposed to be a hero?

The cat in the hat ends up in Stackeln an der Kruke by chance. She moves into an old, empty house where the grumpy brewery director Maulwisch spent his unhappy childhood. The cat promises to make the house a happy place to live. But that is impossible on her own - so little by little she takes in a bunch of homeless people, orphans and oddballs: the pipe hen Marianne, Captain Knaak, the Zappergeck and the Puddingbrumsel, the musical pig Baby Hübner, the stumbling bird, the Erbsenstein brothers and even the decent llama who sleeps a lot. Together they turn the house upside down and open the doors to happiness. But with so many charges there is of course no money left for the rent. Brewery director Maulwisch starts to make a fuss!

Cat with Hat

Felix Krull sees the world as a stage and wants to enjoy life to the fullest. He grew up in a small town in the Rheingau. His father was an unsuccessful sparkling wine manufacturer who drove the family into ruin and then took his own life. Felix - the lucky one - sets out into the wide world to escape poverty. Through his godfather Schimmelpreester, he finds a job in a luxury hotel in Paris. There he is very good at saying what people want to hear. He is what he seems. He is authentic by deceiving and an expert at marketing himself. A projection figure for all desires.

Confessions of Felix Krull, Impostor

Greyhound Poch wins one dog race after
another until one day she simply collapses. She wakes up in the hospital surrounded by dog ​​doctors - diagnosis unknown. There is too much pressure in her head because the dog's bloated brain is floating around in the water. Hellcat Rosali, who does business transporting cadavers, proposes a mean deal: pain-relieving pills in exchange for half a life. The dog's brain hesitates at first - but ultimately doesn't know what else to do.

Sick Dogs (DE)

A young couple sets out on a journey to become average. They move from Berlin to Haßloch. Haßloch is considered the most average place in Germany and is a so-called "Magic Town". The economy takes advantage of the averageness of the residents for product testing. But who actually produces whose needs here? Which wishes are normal? And what happens when you fall in love with a product that then suddenly disappears again? The need to help shape the average and the longing for predictability and security create pressure to adapt your own wishes and dreams.

Magic Town (UA)

Three women - grandmother, daughter and granddaughter - are sitting together at dinner in a cozy apartment in a European city. They talk about their shopping, the upcoming weekend trip and the school work of the youngest, as if they had always lived here. But they only moved into this house a few months ago, where they are known as the Ukrainian "refugees". They describe themselves more as "temporarily displaced persons".
It seems almost inconceivable that the three of them stormed out of the house under a bomb alert or were stuck in a traffic jam at the gates of Europe, on their way to an uncertain future.

Non-Existent

The little witch lives with her faithful companion, the raven Abraxas, in a small house in the middle of the forest. At 127 years old, she is actually much too young to dance with the other witches on Walpurgis Night on the Blocksberg. She sneaks off to the witches' night anyway and is promptly caught. As punishment, she is given the task of becoming a "good" witch by the following year. If she passes the witch's test, she can finally take part in the big dance. Easier said than done... It doesn't really work with all the spells and complicated curses. Something is constantly happening that the little witch and Abraxas didn't expect. On top of that, the evil witch Rumpumpel tries by all means to prevent the little witch from achieving her big goal, and then the two of them have completely misunderstood what it means to be a "good" witch.

The Little Witch

Viola is separated from her brother Sebastian in a shipwreck and comes ashore in Illyria. Here she decides to go to work for Duke Orsino under the name Cesario, disguised as a page. The Duke likes the young nobleman and sends him as a messenger to Olivia, whom he adores. Viola, who has fallen in love with the Duke, suffers from these errands. To her delight, Olivia rejects Orsino's advances, as she has sworn to mourn her deceased brother for seven years - but then falls in love with the supposed youth Cesario. 

How well-versed are you in Greek mythology? Are you familiar with the characters of goddesses and gods? And who actually rode the Trojan horse?
The operetta The Beautiful Helen offers a little insight here: Helen was supposedly the most beautiful woman in the world in her time (around 1250 BC). Aphrodite, who had won the beauty contest with Athena and Hera, had promised Helen to the judge Paris as a prize. At the time of the contest, however, Helen was not free; she was married to Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The prize could therefore only be fulfilled by kidnapping Helen, which is ultimately seen as the trigger for the Trojan War.

The Beautiful Helena

“Showmaster is my job, a job that the devil created…” Rudi Carrell sang about himself in 1975 with an ironic undertone and later shaped German television as a showmaster until the 2000s. Carrell, a perfectionist and tireless source of ideas, was always on the lookout for new show elements to inspire his audience. But behind the charming entertainer there was also an ambivalent character.

Staatstheater Mainz

20 - 21 Mar, 2026

6th Symphony Concert

Mar 21, 2026

Master Flea

Mar 26, 2026

2. Concert for young people

Mar 28, 2026

The Eighth Life (For Brilka)

10 - 11 Apr, 2026

7th Symphony Concert

20 - 21 Mar, 2026

6th Symphony Concert

Mar 14, 2026

The Magic Flute

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