The construction of the Globe Theater in Coburg is progressing. A spokesman for the city said that September 2023 is still the planned opening date. Then the 2023/24 theater season begins.
The Globe Theater is being built on the former site of a freight depot in the south of the Upper Franconian city. It will serve as an alternative venue for the Coburg State Theater, which is in urgent need of renovation. When the state theater will be renovated is still completely open, said the city spokesman: the plans are still in the early stages.
The house on Coburg’s Schlossplatz was built in the 19th century and last renovated in the 1970s. Like the Landestheater, the Globe Theater will seat around 500 spectators. According to current plans, the construction of the venue will cost around 32 million euros. The theater was originally scheduled to open at the end of 2022. A few months ago, the city announced that the opening would be delayed by almost a year. The reason was the insolvency of a company that should have installed the stage technology.
The round design of the Globe Theater is based on British models, particularly London’s Globe Theatre, which became world famous through performances of Shakespeare’s works. The city of Coburg traditionally feels very connected to England, because the ducal house of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is related to the British royal family: Prince Consort Albert (1819-1861), the husband of Queen Victoria, comes from this house and is the great-great – Grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II, who died in 2022.