Musiktheaterdramaturgie modular: Wie Raumbühnen neue Optionen für Spielpläne und Ästhetiken schaffen. Ein Werkstattbericht aus dem Staatstheater Kassel

Abstract

This article examines how large-format spatial stages (Raumbühne) as immersive performance arrangements are fundamentally changing repertoire planning, dramaturgy and audience perception in contemporary music theatre. Using the example of the multi-year development of Sebastian Hannak's ANTIPOLIS and earlier projects in Kassel, it is shown that the construction of a 360° stage, with its considerable material and time requirements, forces new institutional logics. Since such structures cannot be erected for individual evenings, an independent repertoire emerges that also integrates frontal productions within so-called ‘buffer zones,’ thereby cushioning the pressure of the traditional repertoire system. Shared scenic elements create visual coherence across multiple productions and mark an aesthetic paradigm shift from illusionistic transformation to the active use of space. The text identifies works and formats that productively incorporate decentralised perspectives, participation and live video, and describes the spatial stage as a ‘theatre of experience’ that negotiates social and political issues. Digital enhancements and sustainable stage concepts point to the spatial stage as a sustainable, interdisciplinary model of music theatre.