Home
Berlin, 30 May 2018. Just in time for the new season, a newly constructed, state-of-the-art backstage building for the Waldbühne Berlin was presented yesterday evening. Attended by numerous guests from politics, culture and society, the inauguration ceremony was conducted by Aleksander Dzembritzki (State Secretary for Interior and Sports in the Berlin Senate Administration) and Klaus-Peter Schulenberg (CEO CTS EVENTIM). The two-storey edifice was built by CTS EVENTIM, one of the world’s leading providers of ticketing services and live entertainment, and also the operator of Waldbühne Berlin. The new building was designed by Max Dudler, the internationally renowned architect, and took eight months to build.
The new backstage area is located, like the former cloakroom area of the Waldbühne, on the northeast side of the site and is thus integrated seamlessly into the historical Olympic Park. All the amenities and functions of a modern backstage area are provided, commensurate with the Waldbühne’s international status as a leading open-air venue.
In the future, the Waldbühne Berlin will receive its artists in contemporary, airy rooms providing guests with considerable comfort, a relaxed atmosphere and technically sophisticated facilities. The new building has more than 750 m² of useful area and a large, 160 m² outdoor terrace. The new backstage area will go operational for live events on 7 June 2018, when ‘Die Toten Hosen’ kick off their open-air tour (‘Eine Laune der Natour’) with the first of two dates in the Waldbühne, thus launching the 2018 Waldbühne season.
Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, CEO of CTS EVENTIM, commented, ‘We are delighted at having turned the Waldbühne Berlin into one of Europe’s leading open-air stages in recent years. With the new backstage area, we ensure that the Waldbühne will be setting standards, in terms not only of atmosphere, but also of infrastructure – in the interest of both artists and visitors. We are grateful for the support we received from Max Dudler, a truly outstanding architect whose work has already shaped Berlin’s appearance markedly in many different places.’
Born in the Swiss village of Altenrhein, Max Dudler studied architecture at Städelschule in Frankfurt/Main and at the Academy of Arts in Berlin. He is the founder and director of the firm of architects that has borne his name since its inception in 1992. Since then, the main focus of his work has extended beyond the classical responsibilities of an architect to include urban planning, transport facilities, conversions, preservation of listed buildings, exhibitions and even furniture design.
Dudler has been awarded numerous distinctions, for example the ‘Nike’ award for the best urban planning interpretation, conferred in 2010 for the Jacob-und-Wilhelm-Grimm-Zentrum in the centre of Berlin.
In recent years, the Waldbühne Berlin has established itself as a leading venue for world-famous stars from Germany and abroad. In the past 2017 season, this open-air stage rich in tradition hosted more than 350,000 guests – a new record, making it the world’s No. 1 in the ‘Amphitheatre’ category for the first nine months of the year, according to the quarterly rankings published by Pollstar, one of the industry’s leading magazines.
Among the many top acts to have recently played sold-out gigs in the Waldbühne were the Rolling Stones, Rammstein, Robbie Williams, Paul McCartney, Leonhard Cohen, P!NK, Muse, Neil Young, Black Sabbath, to name just a few. Concerts by the likes of Depeche Mode, Pearl Jam, Beatsteaks, Iron Maiden, Jonas Kaufmann, Andrea Bocelli, Roland Kaiser and the Kelly Family have already been announced for the 2018 season.
About the Waldbühne Berlin amphitheatre
Waldbühne Berlin is a renowned open-air venue located in west Berlin and steeped in tradition. It was built in 1936 and today seats audiences of up to 22,000. It has been operated since 2009 by Europe’s leading ticketing and live entertainment company, CTS EVENTIM, under whose management the number of events and visitors has been significantly increased in recent years. The Waldbühne has meanwhile become a venue of choice for many major artists of national and international renown. Its diversified programme and unique setting have scored the Waldbühne a number of awards, and it is now one of the world’s most popular amphitheatres in terms of audience figures.
About CTS EVENTIM
CTS EVENTIM is one of the leading international providers of ticketing services and live entertainment. In 2017, more than 250 million tickets were marketed using the company’s systems – through stationary box offices, online or mobile. Its online portals operate under brands such as eventim.de, oeticket.com, ticketcorner.ch, ticketone.it and entradas.com. The EVENTIM Group also includes many concert, tour and festival promoter companies for events like ‘Rock am Ring’, ‘Rock im Park’, ‘Hurricane’ and ‘Southside’. In addition, some of Europe’s most renowned venues are operated by CTS EVENTIM, for example the LANXESS arena in Cologne, the Waldbühne in Berlin and the EVENTIM Apollo in London. CTS EVENTIM AG & Co. KGaA (ISIN DE 0005470306) has been listed on the stock exchange since 2000 and has been a member of the MDAX segment since 2015. In 2017, its 3,020-strong workforce generated more than one billion Euro in revenues in 23 countries.
