Klaipeda Drama Theatre
State drama company in the classical theatre building on Klaipeda's Theatre Square.
The theatre building stands on Theatre Square in the old centre of Klaipeda, the port city known in German as Memel. A theatre had operated on the site since the early nineteenth century, and the present classical building dates from 1857, with a substantial rebuilding in 1870 that gave it the pedimented front and clock tower seen today. In front of it stands the Simon Dach fountain with the figure of Annchen von Tharau, a landmark first unveiled in 1912 and re-created in 1989.
A Lithuanian-language drama company was founded here in 1935, and the theatre became a state institution after the Second World War. Today the Klaipeda Drama Theatre presents a repertoire of Lithuanian and international plays on its main stage and in smaller studio spaces, together with work for young audiences. The building was restored and technically modernised in the 2010s, and the square outside is used for open-air performances and city festivals during the summer.
Highlights
- Classical 1857 theatre with clock tower on Theatre Square
- Resident Lithuanian drama company founded in 1935
- Main stage plus smaller studio performance spaces
- Simon Dach fountain and Annchen von Tharau statue outside
