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BMG books out Berlin theatre for two years of fun times
By Chris Cooke | Published on Friday 30 September 2022
BMG is further expanding its interests in live entertainment by booking out Berlin’s 1600 seat Theater Des Westens for two full years in order to stage a big old programme of shows. That will include productions of BMG’s growing roster of stage musicals plus a series of residencies by various artists.
Says BMG boss Hartwig Masuch: “The Theater Des Westens is arguably the greatest theatre in the German capital. As a Berlin-born company, and the only German-owned and managed global player in the music industry, we are proud to make this investment in the musical life of our hometown”.
And BMG’s Chief Content Officer Dominique Casimir adds: “We are committed to making the Theater Des Westens the premiere venue for entertainment in Berlin. Taking such a long lease on a venue is a first for a music company [and] bringing high end artist residencies to Berlin is a first for Germany. We see a particular opportunity for established artists who want to present a high end show in a beautiful venue rather than embarking on a regular tour”.
The theatre is owned by the city of Berlin and operated by Dutch company Stage Entertainment. Its Director Of Operations, Ulf Dewald, adds: “We are delighted to have found in BMG a renowned and ambitious partner for Theater Des Westens and are happy to support the company in all marketing efforts for its compelling artistic concept”.
As for what you can expect to be staged at the BMG-programmed Theater Des Westens, well, tickets are already on sale for ‘Romeo & Julia – Liebe Ist Alles’, a new musical by BMG-published songwriters Peter Plate and Ulf Leo Sommer. As for what artists will perform residences, well, that’s still to be confirmed.
Though there’s good news for haters of music, because you’ll be catered to as well. BMG plans to liaise with its sister companies in the wider Bertelsmann group to stage some spoken word events too, likely including some of the authors published by Penguin Random House.
