In the Kreativquartier (creative quarter) on Dachauer Strasse, between urban gardening and wild growth, colorful studio containers and workshops, a strikingly modern building surprises: the schwere reiter theater, built from rusty supporting pillars and a venue for Munich's independent theater scene.
“Do you want to play?” ask the children who play tag and hide and seek between the wooden slatted planters in the community garden during the day. A smiling sun is emblazoned on a façade above the words “The truth is the future.” In the evening, the artists of the Atelierhaus invite you to visit their studios in one of the abandoned industrial buildings on the site.
It is rare to experience such openness towards curious guests as here in the Kreativquartier on Schwere-Reiter-Strasse, which has also been home to Munich's independent theater scene for years.
The location of the theater in the middle of this urban wilderness had a decisive influence on the architecture of the new theater building from the early 2020s. The Munich architects Mahlnknecht and Herrle took the liberty of using rusty iron girders, which are normally rammed into the ground to secure excavation pits, for the façade of the new square building.
At schwere reiter, Munich's off-theaters present their tried-and-tested three-discipline program of dance, theater and music as well as interdisciplinary projects and international guest performances. If you are curious, you can find the current program on the stage's website. In addition to the actual performances, the new building gives the artists plenty of space to rehearse, produce, network and experiment. There is space for around 120 people. The theater is also a permanent venue for theater and dance festivals such as Spielart, Dance, the Münchener Biennale, RODEO, the Tanzwerkstatt Europa, the aDevantgarde-Festival and Rampenlichter.
