BELLEALLIANCE THEATER

The Belle-Alliance Theater inBerlingot its name from nearby Belle-Alliance Square; it began as a beer garden and dance pavilion whose initial audience consisted of soldiers stationed in three nearby regimental barracks, along with artisans in the immediate neighborhood. The business reform law of 1869 allowed owner August Wolf to rebuild his establishment and offer plays byJohann Wolfgang Goethe, Friedrich Schiller, andWilliam Shake-speare—usually at ticket prices far lower than what patrons were paying at the Court Theater. Wilhelmine Berlin offered the Belle-Alliance and theaters like it an ever-expanding audience due to the city's explosive population growth. Wolf attempted unsuccessfully to enlarge his audience with the German-language premieres of Henrik Ibsen'sThe Pillars of Societyin 1878 andLove's Comedyin 1896. His primary fare was thePossemit Gesang, featuring farcical plots and memorable melodies. The most frequently performed playwrights under Wolf were Carl August Görner (1806-1884), Heinrich Wilken (1836-1880), and Leon Treptow (1853-1916). Seating capacity for the Belle-Alliance was about 1,600; the theater was razed in 1913.