Ekhof Festival Gotha

Theatre as in Goethe's Time

The Ekhof Theatre at Friedenstein Castle in Gotha, Thuringia, is a theatrical sensation: it is the oldest fully preserved baroque theatre in the world with functional wooden stage machinery. When the stage opens at the Ekhof Festival, the audience sees exactly the same picture that Conrad Ekhof – the first German acting star and namesake of the festival – saw in the 18th century. Clouds sail across the back of the stage, the curtain falls by counterweights, and the scenery is moved sideways as in 1683, the year of its construction.

Konrad Benda's Invention of the Melodrama

The festival specialises in rediscovering Gotha's musical history. Georg Anton Benda was court Kapellmeister in Gotha in the 18th century and is considered the inventor of the melodrama – a theatrical form with spoken text and orchestral accompaniment. "Medea" and "Romeo and Julie" are his central works. Mozart himself was enthusiastic: "I couldn't flatter myself enough with what I thought of it all," he wrote after a performance of Benda's Medea.

Gluck's Reform Operas and the French Repertoire

Alongside Benda, Christoph Willibald Gluck's "Orpheus" will be performed in 2026 for the first time in a long time – the reform opera that revolutionised 18th-century musical theatre, moving from the bombast of opera seria to classical clarity. The performance in the original baroque setting promises a journey back to the birth of modern opera.

Acting: Molière on the Friedenstein Stage

In the theatrical focus of 2026, the festival brings Molière's comedy "The School for Wives" (premiere 10 July) to the stage – a witty satire about jealousy, abuse of power, and the strength of young women. Molière will be performed on the Friedenstein stage for a total of four weeks.

Chamber Concerts with Alexey Stadler

Cellist Alexey Stadler – a member of major ensembles and a soloist with an international career – is the Artist in Residence for the 2026 festival. He opens the season on 23 May with Tchaikovsky's string sextet "Souvenir de Florence" and returns on several evenings for further chamber concerts.

Cooperation and Organisers

The festival is jointly organised by the Friedenstein Castle Foundation Gotha and the Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach. It is one of the most important cultural highlights of the Gotha district and Thuringia as a whole.