When does the performance start

The premiere begins on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at 7:30 PM in the Theater am Hagen Grand Hall in Straubing.

How much do tickets cost

For performances of Price Category C at the Theater am Hagen, the prices are 31 Euro, 29 Euro, or 24 Euro depending on the seating arrangement according to the official price list.

Are there parking options at the theater

There is a free large parking lot Am Hagen directly in front of the theater with a short walking distance to the entrance.

What time does the entrance open and is there a box office

The box office opens one hour before the start of the performance and entry ends promptly at the beginning; late guests will be let in at the next scene change.

Is the venue barrier-free and is there a cloakroom

The Theater am Hagen is partially barrier-free and has a cloakroom in the foyer that opens one hour before the performance starts; cloakroom fee is 1 Euro.

How long does the performance last and is there an intermission

Information about the duration and any intermission will follow as soon as published by the organizer.

Experience Life is a Dream: Baroque Visions on Straubing's Stage Up Close

Name: Life is a Dream
Start: 2026-03-24 19:30:00
End: 2026-03-24 19:30:00
Location: Theater am Hagen, Großer Saal, Am Hagen 61, 94315 Straubing

Baroque World Theater with Force: Life is a Dream Celebrates Its Premiere in Straubing

On March 24, 2026, the curtain rises at the Theater am Hagen for Pedro Calderón de la Barca's philosophical masterpiece Life is a Dream. The Landestheater Niederbayern brings this timeless parable about freedom, power, and responsibility to the stage with renewed urgency – a theatrical experience that electrifies both mind and senses.

Fate and Free Will: A Material of Burning Relevance

In Poland, King Basilius keeps his son Sigismund imprisoned in a tower due to a grim prophecy. When Sigismund is brought to the court in a stupor and awakens as a ruler, nature and nurture, instinct and virtue collide. What is illusion, what is reality? The theatrical atmosphere intensifies as Segismundo's inner turmoil erupts into powerful monologues and sharp dialogues – great acting as an existential chamber play on a grand stage.

Dramaturgy of the Baroque: Precision, Rhythm, Brilliance

Calderón's verse drama unfolds a precise web of motifs from the Counter-Reformation, Vanitas symbolism, and the world-as-stage metaphor. In the Landestheater's staging, clear scenic direction and sharpened character sketches meet sonorous language. The direction layers levels of illusion and truth, while the set design models the tower as a space for reflection with architectural axes, and the lighting sharply delineates the boundaries between dream and wakefulness.

Sensory Impressions: Light, Costume, Acoustics

The grand hall of the Theater am Hagen offers focused acoustics that carry the musical inflection of baroque verses. Costumes reference courtly splendor, yet break these with coarse fabrics for the dungeon – a strong image of inner turmoil. Color temperatures shift from the cold steel blue of the tower to warm golden tones at court: the lighting mood makes the audience complicit in doubt.

Staging History and Resonance

Since its premiere in the 17th century, Life is a Dream has been regarded as a paradigmatic work of the Spanish Siglo de Oro. Literature and theater histories honor it as the pinnacle of baroque stage art; modern performances emphasize its contemporary power between political parable and psychological chamber play. Typical audience reactions include rapt silence during the long monologues, spontaneous applause for precisely timed tableaux, and contemplative reflection upon leaving the foyer.

Conclusion

This premiere promises a concentrated, visually striking encounter with a classic that questions our time: How freely do we act? What do we owe one another? Experience the tension between illusion and reality – live, immediate, in the dense space of the Theater am Hagen.