The Gloria-Theater is a multi-purpose theatre and event space, originally a cinema-theatre, in the centre of

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It is located on Apostelnstraße north of the Neumarkt, near the Basilica of the Holy Apostles.

History

The Gloria opened on 30 November 1956 as a cinema-theatre with the Austrian film ''

Engagement at Wolfgangsee ''Engagement at Wolfgangsee'' (German: ''Verlobung am Wolfgangsee'') is a 1956 Austrian comedy film directed by Helmut Weiss and starring Ingrid Andree, Wolf Albach-Retty and Maria Andergast. The film was shot in Agfacolor at the Schönbrunn St ...

'', directed by

Helmut Weiss Helmut Weiss (January 25, 1907 – January 13, 1969) was a German actor, screenwriter, and film director. He was notable for directing '' Tell the Truth'' the first film produced in what was to become the future West Germany after the Second World ...

, and the play ''

Till Eulenspiegel Till Eulenspiegel (; nds, Dyl Ulenspegel ) is the protagonist of a German chapbook published in 1515 (a first edition of ca. 1510/12 is preserved fragmentarily) with a possible background in earlier Middle Low German folklore. Eulenspiegel is a ...

'' with

Gérard Philipe Gérard Philipe (born Gérard Albert Philip, 4 December 1922 – 25 November 1959) was a prominent French actor who appeared in 32 films between 1944 and 1959. Active in both theatre and cinema, he was, until his early death, one of the main ...

. In the 1970s it showed pornographic films, such as those featuring Ingrid Steeger.Die Geschichte des Gloria-Theaters
, Gloria-Theater.com , retrieved 2 March 2013. In 1991 the building ceased to be a cinema and became an event location, specialising in hosting gay and lesbian parties.

Hella von Sinnen Hella Kemper (born 2 February 1959), known by her stage name Hella von Sinnen (lit. ''Hella out of her mind'', making pun of the aristocratic "von"), is a German entertainer and television presenter. She has been a regular on several TV shows o ...

celebrated a première there in 1995, Hermann Götting threw popular birthday parties, and

The Kelly Family The Kelly Family is an Irish-American music group consisting of a multi-generational family, usually nine siblings who were joined occasionally on stage in their earlier years by their parents. They play a repertoire of rock, pop, and folk music ...

played an AIDS benefit there. In 1994, the opening scene of the film ''

Der bewegte Mann ''Der bewegte Mann'' (international title: ''The Most Desired Man'', U.S. title: ''Maybe ... Maybe Not'') is a 1994 German comedy film directed by Sönke Wortmann and starring Til Schweiger, Rufus Beck, Joachim Król and Katja Riemann. The film ...

'' with

Til Schweiger Tilman Valentin Schweiger (; born 19 December 1963) is a German actor, voice actor and filmmaker. He runs his own production company, Barefoot Films, in Berlin. Early life Schweiger was born in Freiburg, West Germany, to two teachers. He grew ...

was shot inside, and in 2001

Walter Bockmayer Walter Bockmayer (4 July 1948 – 7 October 2014) was a German film director, screenwriter and actor. He directed seven films between 1975 and 1988. His 1978 film ''Flaming Hearts'' was entered into the 28th Berlin International Film Festiv ...

set ''Wer Liebe sucht'' there. After a complete renovation and the addition of up-to-date technical equipment, the Gloria has since 2000 been a multi-purpose theatre and event location. It contains a theatre space with a maximum capacity of 400 sitting or 950 standing, and an 80-seat café. The ambience evokes the 1950s, and the showcases with neon script at the entrance, the ticket kiosk, and the red velvet décor in the auditorium still recall its past as a cinema. The operator is Gastro-Event GmbH, which employs approximately 50 people there. The Gloria is used for concerts, parties, readings, theatrical and comedy performances including the Cologne Comedy Festival, and sometimes for TV shows, including '' NightWash''. It has been described as "at the nexus of Cologne's trendy gay and lesbian scene".''Let's Go Germany'', 14th ed., New York: St. Martin's, 2009,
p. 289

References

External links

Gloria-Theater website
{{Authority control Theatres in Cologne Former cinemas