page_title: Societaetstheater
section_title: Reopening
hierarchical_section_title: Societaetstheater / History / Reopening
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Pavillon von Johann Benjamin Thomae im kleinen Barockgarten des Societaetstheaters Dresden, der früher Thomae und Johann Gottfried Knöffler gehört hatte.
context_page_description: The Societaetstheater is the oldest popular theatre in Dresden, Germany. Founded in 1776 as an amateur theatre by a society of friends from both the nobility and the middle class, it was initially respected and influential but declined in the early 19th century after the fashion shifted to elaborate historical and verse dramas and the national theatre movement grew in importance, and was eventually dissolved in 1832. The Baroque building on Hauptstraße in the Innere Neustadt was abandoned for many years in the second half of the 20th century, but beginning in 1979, a movement grew to restore it. The theatre reopened in 1999 and is now operated by the city.
context_section_description: In 1837 a building was erected beside the theatre, covering almost half the façade. A second storey and more windows were added to the building itself, and beginning in the second half of the 19th century, it was used as a residence. In the early 20th century, small handwork businesses moved into what had been the foyer; traces of metalworking remain. The premises were also reportedly used by a photographic studio and by the post office.
  The building was not destroyed in the bombing of Dresden on 13 February 1945, but fell into increasing disrepair after the war. In the 1950s and 60s, urgently needed repairs were not made, and from the 1970s on, the building was abandoned. Despite the renovation of the Hauptstraße beginning in 1978, the intention was to gut and demolish the building. The architect Jürgen Mehlhorn, who had become interested in the building while still a student and was now using it to store material for the reconstruction of other buildings on the street, in 1979 designed a keystone for the main entrance at Hauptstraße 19 depicting two theatrical masks and with the inscription "Societaetstheater 1715 1779 1979". The association "Interessengemeinschaft Societaetstheater" was then founded; in 1992 this became "Societaetstheater e.V." The association worked to preserve the building and raised money for urgent repairs such as roof work and provisional safety measures. In 1985, the building became a registered landmark of the German Democratic Republic. More extensive repairs were made in 1989. After German reunification in 1990, Dresdner Bank sponsored the building's restoration. The Dresden city council decided in October 1994 that the theatre would be operated by the city once restored, and work began in 1996.
  The building was restored based on its original state, with the addition of an annexe containing a cellar theatre, a restaurant and five guest rooms. The adjoining Baroque garden, which had belonged to the sculptor Johann Benjamin Thomae amongst others, was also restored, and a restored pavilion by Thomae placed in the centre. The theatre had its ceremonial reopening on 19 February 1999.
caption: Pavilion in Baroque garden
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