Vaganten Bühne

The magnificent building of the Theater des Westens on Kantstraße cannot be overlooked. And those who take a closer look will find many a theatre surprise behind it. The Vaganten Bühne has also been permanently housed here in the basement of the Delphi House since 1956.

The family-run Vaganten Bühne was founded in the post-war period by Horst Behrend and Günter Rutenborn. At the beginning, the Vaganten had no fixed venue and performed in both the eastern and western parts of the city. The name Vaganten Bühne harks back to this unsettled time – in reference to the medieval minstrels who moved from place to place.

Today, the Vaganten Bühne is run by Behrend’s son Jens-Peter and has its permanent seat in Kantstraße. Since January 2020, Lars Georg Vogel has taken over the management of the theatre house. On the one hand, the programme focuses on stage versions of modern classics. Since 2015, the theatre has also opened its doors for this purpose and takes the audience on theatrical journeys, such as Vicki Baum's "Grand Hotel", part of which takes place in the neighbouring Hotel Savoy. On the other hand, the repertoire includes socially critical plays by contemporary authors. And comedic fun also forms part of the programme: the permanent fixture, Shakespeare's entire works (in 90 minutes!) have already been performed over 1,500 times here.

Tickets can be pre-ordered by phone or e-mail. Ticket prices range between 16 and 22 euros. For unusual works, prices are slightly higher.

S-Bahn, U-Bahn and bus lines will take you from all over Berlin to Zoologischer Garten station. From there you only have to walk a few metres to the Vaganten Bühne.