The curtain of the big stage of the Wuppertal Schauspielhaus rose for the last time in 2009. Since then it has been quiet in the house where the dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch made history together with her company, the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch. In order to anchor the artistic legacy of the dancer and choreographer permanently in Wuppertal and to revitalise the theatre, the city of Wuppertal, with the support of the federal government and the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, wants to create an innovative cultural venue with international appeal in the disused theatre: The Pina Bausch Zentrum.
In the Centre of the Arts dedicated to Pina Bausch, the Wuppertal Pina Bausch Dance Theatre will find its own permanent home. At the same time, it will offer artistic productions of international standing professional rehearsal and production conditions as well as the greatest possible freedom for the development of new pieces, thus establishing itself as an international production centre. The Pina Bausch Foundation with its extensive archive on Pina Bausch will also move into the centre. With the "Forum Wupperbogen", a participation and citizens' forum is also to develop in the former Wuppertal theatre. These four interlinked fields of action will create a multidisciplinary house that will be available to people all day as a public space.
In August, an important milestone in the founding of the Pina Bausch Centre was reached: The introductory colloquium for the planning competition took place in the foyer of the Schauspielhaus. The renowned field of participants from 20 national and international architectural offices was invited to Wuppertal to get to know the listed Schauspielhaus from the inside and outside and to be informed about the competition task by the building owner and the future users of the Pina Bausch Zentrum. In the coming months, the architects will now develop their ideas for the Pina Bausch Zentrum and put their plans for the renovation and new building on paper.
The city of Wuppertal has set the completion of the Pina Bausch Zentrum for 2027. In addition to the investment volume for the renovation and new building, the federal government, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the city of Wuppertal have provided an additional 4.4 million euros in project funds for the period until the opening, which will be used to prepare the Pina Bausch Zentrum.
Since the first considerations about the future Pina Bausch Zentrum, actori has advised the project selectively on specific questions of operation and content. For more than two years now, actori has continuously supported the city of Wuppertal in managing and steering the project with its internal and external stakeholders. In addition, actori advises the project participants in the preparation, development and planning of the Pina Bausch Zentrum. In corresponding questions and tasks, actori supports the technical elaboration, takes care of the preparation, implementation and follow-up of working meetings together with the project office and acts as a "sparring partner".
The project is accompanied by Daniel Fetzer, Consulting.