Lessing Theater

Spectators entered the theatre through one of three doors in the vestibule, which was equipped with a roof to protect unloading horse cars. The lobby measured 15.40 by 9.00 metres. Ticket counters were placed on either side of the lobby, with doors beside them that gave access to the second storey balconies. Doors directly across from the entrance led to the stalls and the first level of balconies.

After the show, spectators from the stalls left the theatre through two separate doors on the side of the theatre or through the main lobby. Spectators from the first and second rows of balconies had special exits through the staircases, so they would not have to cross the lobby again. This allowed the theatre to empty quickly and permitted shorter time periods between two shows.

Wardrobes were available outside the various spectator areas. The hallways also functioned as spectator space during intermissions. For the more prominent visitors, in the stalls and the first gallery, a separate foyer above the main lobby was allocated, a grand room, measuring 9.45 by 15.60 metres, and 6.80 metres high. During warmer seasons, doors opened up to a balcony above the vestibule and to balconies on either side of the corridors for the first gallery. Spectators in the second gallery had two bars available for beer, which also allowed access to an outside area.

House

Floorplans for stalls and second gallery

The theater's first artistic director, Ernst von Possart, desired the basic dimensions of the spectator area be copied from Karl Friedrich Schinkel's Schauspielhaus because of its good acoustics. The hall had the shape of a lengthened semi circle with a radius of 18.46 metres, with a 5-metre deep proscenium, tapered from 13.90 to 11.50 metres. The hallways of the stalls were 1,00 metres above street level, those of the first gallery 4.70 metres, and those of the second gallery 8.40 metres. There were 1170 seats. With the exception of the left side of the first gallery, which contained the royal box, each gallery on both sides of the proscenium had two closed boxes each.

In the stalls, there were 18 boxes with 116 seats along the outer wall. 17 rows provided seating for 350 spectators; four rows with 58 second-class seats, below the first gallery balcony, were accessible via a central corridor. The seats measured 0.80 by 0.54 metres, at the time of the opening larger even than that of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden.

The first gallery largely consisted of boxes with a total of 140 seats. The five outside boxes on either side reached to the parapet; the ten boxes on the inside had three rows of seats in front of them ("balcony seats"), offering room for 72 spectators. The second gallery, besides the 28 seats in the proscenium boxes, offered seating in rows for 316 spectators and standing-room for 70 more.

The rococo-style auditorium was mainly white and gold. Rear walls were coloured bronze. All curtains and upholstery were blue silk.

The stage and adjacent areas were accessible via a ramp in the back, and through doors in the two staircases in the additions on either side. These side additions also had dressing rooms, on the ground floor. Dressing rooms for the choir and the extras were in the basement. Management was on the third floor, and costumes and props were stored on the floor above. The space behind the stage, two storeys high, served as storage for the sets; the third-story level housed furniture, and the fourth-storey level was the scene shop.

The stage measured 20 by 18.33 metres (65.6 by 60.1 ft), enough for six set changes. Tiefe ausreichend for six Kulissen. The Fly system was 18.00 meters above the stage. A two-part iron fire door closed the stage from the sides.

The building was constructed mainly from brick and iron, in hopes of minimising the risk of fire; only the stage was made of wood. The construction of a number of stairs in stone and the covering of the roofs and the cupola of the stage with sheet iron completed the precautions against fire. The flat roof over the rooms next to the stalls was done in cement. Lighting was electric.

The theatre was covered in plaster; only the ornaments of the outer facade were sandstone. For the facade, architects von der Hude and Hennick were inspired by Renaissance Revival architecture. For the inside, they opted for Mannerism, and the arena was inspired by Neorococo; in all, the plurality of styles made the theatre a typical representative of Historicism.

• Oskar Höcker[1]
• Rudolf Klein-Rogge